


Re: Yuri Katsuki

by Ishxallxgood



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Friendship, Gen, Humor, M/M, Phichit Chulanont is a Little Shit, Phichit is steering the Viktuuri ship, Pining Victor Nikiforov, Slowly building the ChulaCometti ship, We will see this thing sail, Yuuri will kill them when he finds out, instagram chats, protect yuuri at all costs, viktuuri, yuuri doesn't know, yuuri's biggest fanboys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-21
Updated: 2017-09-26
Packaged: 2018-09-19 00:48:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 50
Words: 73,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9410273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ishxallxgood/pseuds/Ishxallxgood
Summary: Phichit Chulanont is fiercely loyal to his best friend Yuri Katsuki.  So when he randomly gets a direct message on Instagram from one v_nikiforov, it's only natural for Phichit to assume it's a prank.That is until he comes to realize it's not a prank.A story about how Phichit and Viktor bonded over their most favorite topic; Yuri Katsuki.Phichit knows all the things.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This started from a headcannon I had that Phichit knew all the things because he had been talking to Viktor long before Viktor even went to Hasetsu. 
> 
> I mean Phichit didn't seem surprised about anything, he randomly just happens to *show up* at the hotpot place they happened to be eating at in China... he has almost zero reaction to the banquet reveal and even makes [this](http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f58/ishxallxgood/Screen%20Shot%202017-01-18%20at%209.13.20%20PM_zpsru3g7s5e.png) face during the reveal. That is not the face of someone who's hearing the news for the first time. He only reacts to the mention of Chris' photos which leads me to believe he's seen the five Viktor has of Yuuri. He also jumps to the "oh you got married" conclusion out of nowhere.
> 
> Anyway so this happened enjoy.

Phichit wasn’t sure what to say to Yuuri when he first returned from Sochi.  He had tried with idle chitchat, but it soon became painfully clear that there was absolutely nothing he could say that could possibly make Yuuri feel better.  So he just ended up giving Yuuri his space, hoping that his friend would come around on his own.  

 

When Yuuri eventually did come around and told him the reason why he choked, Phichit had started bawling and pulled him into a hug, crying alongside his best friend as they mourned the death of his beloved dog together.  Phichit tried everything he could to lift Yuuri’s spirits afterwards, he almost even bought a poodle costume to dye brown and lie in Yuuri’s bed.  He was glad he didn’t though because in hindsight he realized how incredibly creepy that would have been.

 

Instead he just opted to help Yuuri make this year’s birthday present for Viktor Nikiforov, something that he knew always lifted Yuuri's spirits. Phichit knew that Yuuri would once again fail to send the present to Viktor, not because he didn’t know where to send it, but because Yuuri chickened out every year.  Phichit had been amazed when Yuuri admitted knowing Viktor’s address in Saint Petersburg, he was more shocked when Yuuri revealed how he knew.  It had momentarily made Phichit question his own social media presence, causing him to debate whether he should tone down his SNS activity. He ultimately decided against it, figuring that the likelihood of him having a fan of Yuuri’s caliber stalking him was probably low.

 

When Yuuri left to skate in the Japanese nationals, Phichit seriously considered mailing Viktor’s present to him.  Yuuri had outdone himself this year, and Phichit really didn’t want to add it to the collection of Viktor presents they had kept stacked away neatly in the back of the closet.  One of these days Phichit swore he was going to mail everything to Viktor behind Yuuri’s back, but the thought of Yuuri getting mad at him and ignoring him for a month was too much, so he stayed his hand.

 

Phichit was ready to cry with Yuuri when he returned from Japan after Nationals. Not because Yuuri had bombed it so bad that everyone, himself included, had wondered if Yuuri had been injured during the performance, but because that spark was no longer in Yuuri’s eye.  Phichit refused to believe that it was over for Yuuri, but he could tell during that first practice back that Yuuri’s heart was no longer in it.

 

It was the most heart wrenching thing for Phichit to witness. In all his failures, Yuuri had always found a way to bounce back, to skate a love song to the ice again.  This time, this time it was different.  There was a dullness to Yuuri's movements, like an estranged lover, and it became painfully evident to Phichit that Yuuri's love song had turned into a breakup dance.  It broke Phichit's heart to watch, because to Phichit, watching Yuuri make love to the ice through his skating was one of life's purest joys.

 

Phichit tried everything he knew of to try to lift Yuuri's moods.  From eating out at the best Japanese restaurant in the area, to getting Yuuri drunk and dancing the night away.  He even created a compilation video of all of Viktor's routines in chronological order, starting from his debut in the juniors, ending with a live stream of Viktor skating at the European Competitions. It was tragic, because this time, not even watching Viktor take gold at Europeans lifted Yuuri’s mood, and watching Viktor skate _always_ lifted Yuuri’s mood.

 

Something had to be done, exactly what Phichit was not sure, but he'd think of something. He was not going to lose his favorite form of Yuuri to something silly like Yuuri's crippling anxiety.

 

“Phichit, wake up.”

 

Groaning, Phichit pulled the blanket off his face and turned to face his roommate. “What time is it?” He asked, reaching for his phone, having a mild panic attack when it wasn't in its usual spot next to him on the bed.

 

“Here.” Yuuri said, handing him his phone. “Sorry, I had to mute the damn thing, it kept going off. Who the hell is messaging you at one in the morning anyway?”

 

Phichit let out a yawn and sat up, taking the phone from Yuuri's hand. “I don't know, I was sleeping.” He said rubbing his eyes as he swiped to unlock his phone.

 

Blinking at the screen he stared in disbelief at his Instagram notifications. Evidently, @v_nikiforov had liked every single picture he had posted with Yuuri in it, and on top of that had sent him half a dozen direct messages.

 

 

 

Phichit hit the block button, set his phone to silent and then dropped back down into bed.

 

“What was that all about?” Yuuri asked, looking up from his studies.

 

“Oh nothing.” Phichit replied, plugging his phone back in before cocooning himself back into his sheets. “Just some asshole pretending to be Viktor Nikiforov again trying to get information about you.”

 

“Really? Again? How often does this happen?”

 

“I don't know…” Phichit mumbled through a yawn. “Randomly, but after that one time, I've been hyper vigilant about it.”

 

“Thanks.” Yuuri said rubbing the back of his neck. “Some fans can be a bit much.”

 

“Oh?” Phichit asked, peeking out of the blankets. “Says the guy who figured out Viktor Nikiforov's address by insta-stalking him and piecing together all his geotags with Google Maps to triangulate where in Saint Petersburg his apartment was.”

 

Phichit could hear the end of Yuuri's mechanical pencil snap under the pressure he was applying to the paper. “That… that… that's different.” Yuuri sputtered. “It's not like I ever _did_ anything with that information…”

 

Phichit let out a tired laugh, “I'm just teasing you Yuuri, I know you would never actually _do_ anything creepy… otherwise I wouldn't have ever moved in with you.”

 

“Thanks Phichit, that's comforting to know.” Came Yuuri's reply, dripping with sarcasm, which just caused Phichit to let out another tired chuckle before rolling over and going back to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh gosh, thank you guys so much for all the love on this so far. Because you guys are so wonderful, here's chapter two.
> 
> <3

It had been almost two months since the Grand Prix final, and Phichit didn't know what to do anymore. Seeing Yuuri glide across the ice, a shell of his former self, made Phichit cringe. He had literally tried everything, he even had Leo come by during his winter break to try to cheer Yuuri up, but nothing worked.  It really didn't come as a surprise to him when he found out that Yuuri officially cut things off with Celestino, he only wished there was something more he could have done.

 

“You’re really giving up skating?” Phichit asked, controlling his emotions to the best of his abilities.  

 

“After how badly I bombed Nationals…”

 

“Oh come on, you were still mourning the loss of Vicchan! Not to mention the fact that you were still getting over the fact that Viktor thought you were just a fan and offered you a commemorative photo…” Phichit said with a pout, refusing to give into the idea that this was the end for Yuuri.

 

“Yea… but honestly, these past two months… skating isn’t fun anymore… I feel so lost on the ice… it’s time for a break.”

 

Phichit fought back his tears as he enveloped Yuuri in a hug. “It breaks my heart to hear that Yuuri.” He said, his voice cracking. “I hope you find your center again… I selfishly refuse to believe it’s over… and just so you know, Yuuri on ice is one of my most favorite Yuuri’s… I would hate to never see him again.”

 

Yuuri returned the hug, and Phichit could tell by the way Yuuri’s body shook that he was crying.  “I’m so sorry Phichit… but I don’t know what to tell you… I’ll still come by the rink and watch you skate… but I only have half a term left to finish… I think I’m going to go home afterwards… it’s been a while.”

 

“What!” Phichit found himself wailing, “you’re leaving Detroit too!?”

 

“I've been away from home too long… I didn't even get to say goodbye to Victor…” Yuuri released Phichit, hands coming up to his face, his fingers swiping at his eyes from under his glasses.

 

Phichit let out a heavy sigh and patted Yuuri on the back. “I know… I'm sorry, I'm being selfish. What am I going to do in Detroit without you? You're my partner in crime!”

 

Yuuri let out a sad chuckle. “Man, the hell we put Ciao-Ciao through…”

 

It was Phichit's turn to laugh and he released Yuuri to collapse onto the bed. “Ha, remember that time he literally had to bail us out?”

 

“That was your fault. I told you you were under-aged.” Yuuri replied settling down next to him, relaxing for the first time in what felt like years.

 

“When are you leaving?” Phichit asked, hugging a large stuffed hamster close to him.

 

“Probably around when you head out to World's… I'll fly into Tokyo with you guys and catch the train from there into Fukuoka.” Yuuri said idly playing with the ends of his hair.

 

“Oh, that'll be fun! Maybe we'll run into Viktor or something at the airport…” Phichit said with a grin, poking Yuuri’s arm, “You can get a commemorative photo or something.”

 

“Stop it…” Yuuri said, trying to suppress the blush rising to his cheeks. “I don't think I can look Viktor in the eye right now…”

 

“You don't have to look at him to take a picture _with_ him.” Phichit teased, pulling out his phone as it vibrated in his pocket.

  


 

Phichit stared at his phone in disbelief, utterly confused.  His hands were shaking as he tried to process the words on the screen. Christophe Giacometti had messaged him. _The Christophe Giacometti_ had messaged him, asking him to unblock Viktor, which would only mean...

 

“What’s up?” Yuuri asked with a concerned look, as Phichit had apparently paled significantly and then flustered and almost dropped his phone twice.

 

“Eeep.” Phichit squeaked, “Nothing… nothing at all… just got a surprising text that's all.”

 

Phichit had to remind himself to breath and act normal. Evidently Viktor Nikiforov really did message him a couple of days ago asking about Yuuri. Still, a little part of him doubted it, but if he was now receiving messages from a verified Christophe Giacometti account, it was a little much to believe that a crazed fan managed to make _two_ fake verified accounts just to mess with Yuuri.

 

Yuuri shrugged and grabbed the laptop from the desk, leaning back against the wall as he clicked through a few sites and after a few seconds the first notes of Viktor’s _Stammi vicino_ started.  “Want to watch with me?” Yuuri asked, angling the laptop toward Phichit.

 

Shaking his head no, Phichit couldn't help but wonder what Yuuri would think if he knew that _the Viktor Nikiforov_ had contacted him, inquiring about Yuuri. Yuuri's mind would probably explode, but then again Phichit was still apprehensive about whether or not it really was Viktor.  The person texting him seemed so different from the person on the screen, the poised, composed, majestic skating god.

 

The last time something like this happened, it was a crazed fan from Japan. The fact that Viktor was Yuuri's idol was not news to anyone, at least it wasn't news to anyone who had followed Yuuri's career since the beginning. In an interview a long long time ago, Yuuri had mentioned that he had always looked up to Viktor, that Viktor was his inspiration for skating. A fan had used that information and made a fake SNS account for Viktor, somehow getting it verified to get information out of Phichit about Yuuri. Nothing really horrible happened, just a bunch of really _really_ strange gifts and creepy phone calls. What bothered Phichit about the whole ordeal was the fact that Yuuri was crushed when he realized it was all a lie, and Phichit swore he never wanted to be the reason for Yuuri's depression again.

 

“No thanks, I gotta take care of something on SNS.” Phichit said, reluctantly pulling up his Instagram settings, unblocking v_nikiforov. His phone instantaneously went off, a new direct message notification flashing across his screen. Letting out a sigh Phichit clicked on the notification.

  


 

Phichit stared blankly at his phone. If this was a crazy fan pretending to be Viktor, they were doing an abysmal job. A crazed fan would have known Yuuri didn't qualify for World's, then again Viktor Nikiforov should have known that too.  Unless Viktor Nikiforov didn’t know that because well, he probably didn’t realize that one would _have_ to qualify after bombing Nationals, because Viktor Nikiforov never bombed anything.  Either way, it really could have been the real Viktor Nikiforov, but honestly that explanation made even less sense.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys are seriously the best. I'm so glad you guys love this concept as much as I do! <3

Two weeks had passed since Phichit unblocked Viktor from his Instagram account, and he had grown accustomed to his receiving an instantaneous message from Viktor every time he posted a picture with Yuuri in it.  He had never pegged Viktor Nikiforov to be the fanboy type, but it was undeniable that the man liked to gush about Yuuri, something he had in common with Phichit, so Phichit entertained him.  Besides, it was nice having someone who was as enthusiastic as him to freak out over every aspect of Yuuri over, because Yuuri himself honestly wasn’t the best audience for that.

 

“Hey, can you give this to Guang-Hong for me when you see him?”  Yuuri asked pulling Phichit from his thoughts and handed him a small wrapped packet.

 

“I still wish you were coming with us.” Phichit said, stuffing the present into his suitcase before zipping it up.

 

“I know, but I’m kind of glad I’m not going.  This is a nice break.”

 

Phichit frowned, “I suppose.  I still wish you would reconsider… you sure you’re going to be okay alone?”

 

“Yes Phichit. I'm going to be fine. Go slay them at Four Continents.” Yuuri said with a smile. “Show them the glory of Thailand.”

 

“You know I will… selfie before I leave?” Phichit asked, holding his phone out already.  Yuuri shrugged and leaned in, offering Phichit a bright smile and a thumbs up.  “Thanks… and... hashtag off to Four Continents, hashtag thanks for the support, hashtag my bestie is better than yours, and hashtag YuriKatsuki.”

 

As expected, Phichit didn’t even make it out the door before his phone started going off with DM notifications.  Throwing his luggage into the back seat, he slipped into Celestino's car and pulled out his phone.

  


 

Reflexively Phichit's free hand found his face. It was unbelievable how incredibly dense _the_ Viktor Nikiforov was. Then again, it was possible it wasn’t really Viktor, but an _ice skating_ fan should have know.  He supposed if it really was Viktor it wouldn’t be surprising that for someone of his caliber 'qualifying’ was never a thing he had had to worry about. Seriously though, this man had been skating for twenty years, he should at least _know_ something about how these competitions worked.

 

“Something wrong?” Celestino asked, glancing over at Phichit who had literally just facepalmed.

 

“No, the person I was talking to is just an idiot.” He said putting his phone away. “You really ended things with Yuuri?”

 

Celestino frowned, “I didn’t end things as much as he ended things.  I would have been happy if he decided to go for another season.  The boy has it in him, I know it.  He just needs to get out of his own head sometimes, and I don’t know how to do that for him.”

 

“Yea…” Phichit agreed, slumping down into the seat.

 

As they landed in Seoul, Phichit once again wished that Yuuri was there with him.  Exploring new cities without his partner in crime just didn’t feel right.  At least Leo and Guang-Hong would be there, switching out his sim card he quickly sent them a text and followed after Celestino.

 

The jet lag wasn’t as bad as it usually was, but that was probably because he actually managed to sleep on the plane, instead of talking to Yuuri for twelve hours.  Once he settled his things in his room, he made his way back down to the lobby to wait for his friends.

 

“Wait are you serious!?” Leo exclaimed, grabbing Phichit's phone from him, quickly scrolling through the two direct messages he just told him about. “Holy shit, you weren't kidding.”

 

Guang-Hong grabbed the phone and looked for himself, his eyes opening wide as he read over the messages. “Viktor doesn’t know about having to qualify?”

 

Taking his phone back Phichit shrugged. “I’m not really that surprised, I mean I don’t think that man had to qualify for anything in the past fifteen years.”

 

“Yea…” Leo nodded in agreement. “And you’re sure this is really Viktor?”

 

“I think so…” Phichit said uncertainly.  “I mean I can’t seem to figure out why it wouldn’t be Viktor… but I’ve been tricked before and he's super fanboyish so I’m still a little apprehensive about telling him anything that’s not already public knowledge.”

 

“What if you asked him to mail you something only Viktor could get his hands on…?” Guang-Hong offered.

 

“Oh yea! That’s a great idea!  Maybe something like the no longer available limited edition poster from this season! You know how badly Yuuri wanted that, but they all sold out within minutes, and the only ones we could find were on eBay for like a million dollars.” Leo added excitedly.

 

“Hmm…” Phichit mused, it was a good idea. If he really was Viktor Nikiforov, he would be able to get his hands on one of those posters, they only printed a hundred. “That's a great idea. Only, I'll make him get them to print an extra one, with the official stamp stating 101. That way we know he didn't just buy it off eBay.”

 

“I like that!” Leo said, clasping Phichit on the shoulders. “Yuuri's gonna freak. Are you gonna tell him where you got it from if he asks?”

 

“I don't know.” Phichit admitted. “I think Yuuri might implode if I told him I was talking to the real Viktor Nikiforov on SNS.”

 

“Man I wish Yuuri was here with us.” Leo said as the three friends made their way out of the hotel to explore the city.  “This just isn’t the same without him.”

 

“Tell me about it.” Phichit agreed, snapping a quick photo of them and posting it before checking his messages.

  
  


 

Phichit sighed, he felt kind of bad asking for that poster, but it was the best way to prove this really was Viktor Nikiforov, even though he wasn't sure if he would tell Yuuri even after he confirmed it.  Besides, if he really could get that poster, Yuuri would flip.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Tumblr post of the IG pics](http://ishxallxgood.tumblr.com/post/156224963052/chapter-3-of-reyuri-katsuki-instagram-pics)


	4. Chapter 4

“Congratulations Phichit!”  Yuuri said with a bright smile as Phichit made his way into the small kitchen, the morning after he had returned from Four Continents.

 

“Thanks Yuuri, I didn’t think I’d medal.”  Phichit said reaching for the cup of coffee Yuuri had already prepared for him.

 

“I thought you’d like to know that I’ve started skating again… like _really_ skating, not just gliding across the ice like a zombie.” Yuuri offered, taking a long drought from his own cup.

 

Phichit’s eyes lit up before his lips even touched his own cup.  “Really?  That’s wonderful news!~  Oh Yuuri I’m so excited, I can’t wait to see what you have in store for us.”

 

“Well,” Yuuri said with a smile Phichit understood all too well, “you’ve seen it before.”

 

“Oh?” Phichit mused with a grin, “I can’t possibly imagine where I would have seen it before…”

 

“Stop.” Yuuri said giving him a playful shove.  “Oh by the way, this came for you.”

 

Phichit eyed the mailing tube, utter shock crossing his face before he quickly shook it off, taking another gulp of coffee.  “You should probably open that.  It’s your belated birthday slash christmas present.”

 

“You already gave me both a birthday and a christmas present.” Yuuri replied eyeing him suspiciously.

 

“Okay… then it’s your uh… going away present?  Hoping you’ll stay present?” Phichit didn’t know what to say anymore.  “Whatever, it’s a present for you.  Just open it.”

 

“Okay.”

 

Grabbing his phone, Phichit downed the rest of his coffee before opening the camera app and setting it to video mode.  He would need to document this.

 

Popping off the lid to the mailing tube, Yuuri slowly eased the poster inside out.  “Aw, Phichit you shouldn’t have.”

 

“ _Open it_.” Phichit urged.

 

“You seem really excited about this.” Yuuri said as he began to carefully unroll the poster.

 

“You have no idea.”  Phichit said, his grin growing wider, and then it happened.  Yuuri shrieked.

 

“P… P… Phichit!~ HOW!?  WHERE!?”  Yuuri was flailing around everywhere, examining every inch of the poster, holding it up to the light, confirming all the watermarks, running his fingers over the raised serial number.  “One hundred and one?  That doesn’t make any sense… they only printed a hundred… but it looks so real...”

 

“It’s real. Super special edition, the rarest.” Phichit said smugly.  “Check the return address.”

 

Dropping the poster Yuuri grabbed the mailing tube again, another shriek escaping him when he realized it came directly from the manufacturer. “How? Like seriously how did you get this!?”

 

“I have my sources.” Phichit said cryptically, barely able to contain his composure.

 

Yuuri had gone back to the poster by then, shrieking again as he slowly began to hyperventilate. Phichit ended the video and opened Instagram.

  


 

Putting down his phone Phichit went over to Yuuri and gently rubbed him on the back.  “Calm down there buddy, it’s just a poster.”

 

“It’s… it’s…” Yuuri gasped between breaths, sucking in a long breath and holding it in an attempt to calm himself down.  Exhaling he tried to talk again, but as soon as he tried to formulate words his breathing became rapid again and he started waving his arms around pointing frantically to the poster.

 

“It’s okay.” Phichit said pulling Yuuri into a hug, pulling him in close so that Yuuri could bury most of his face into Phichit’s shoulder.  “You’re doing great buddy… sorry about all that, I didn’t realize you’d get this excited.”

 

After a couple of minutes Yuuri was finally able to catch his breath again, and when he did, he started laughing, so hard that he was practically in tears.  “Phichit! I don't know what you did to get that poster, but oh my god! Seriously, you are the best!”

 

“You know what’s seriously the best, you skating again.” Phichit said happily, “Everything I did for that poster was worth it. Come on, let’s get to the rink.”

 

Phichit watched in awe as Yuuri began to skate, the beginning of Viktor’s program unravelling, and Phichit could have sworn that Yuuri skated it better than Viktor.  Not _technically_ better, Yuuri was still missing jumps, but presentation wise, Phichit definitely preferred Yuuri’s interpretation of the music, well nonexistent music, but Phichit could hear the music all the same.

 

“How far did you get?” Phichit asked, helping Yuuri up after the first fall.

 

“Not too far,  the jumps are still killing me, but I’m getting there.” Yuuri said dusting the ice off his pants.  “I’m sure I’ll figure it out.”

 

“Can you do it again?  I can film it for you, then you can see how you’re doing.”  Phichit offered, pulling out his phone.

 

“Sure.”

 

Phichit was giddy, Yuuri was skating again, and that spark, it was back, and he was making love to the ice again, skating a love song to Viktor.  Oh this was too good. Going through the video again, Phichit found a short clip which highlighted Yuuri’s passion the most, while making it perfectly clear what it was Yuuri was skating, even without the accompanying music.

 

 

“Phichit, please put your phone away while you’re on the ice!” Celestino called from rinkside.  “If you don’t pay attention someone can get hurt, besides _YOU_ are supposed to be practicing your routine!”

 

“Yes, yes.” Phichit said, skating back toward the barrier, putting his phone down.  “It’s just… Yuuri!”

 

“I know.  It’s amazing.  Shame that boy decided to take a break.”

  
Phichit found his smile wavering at the reminder that his time here with Yuuri was limited, that in a month’s time Yuuri wouldn’t be coming back here with him from Tokyo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Tumblr post of pics](http://ishxallxgood.tumblr.com/post/156257294132/chapter-4-of-re-yuri-katsuki-instagram)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because you guys are seriously the best. I cannot believe this has gotten so much love.
> 
> Things are going to get interesting. xD

The month passed quicker than Phichit would have liked.  He was losing time too fast, World's was now a week away, and Phichit was far from ready to let Yuuri go. He could not begin to imagine what life without Yuuri was going to be like. Pushing those unhappy thoughts or of his mind, Phichit went back to focusing on the here and now.

 

Glancing back toward the ice, Phichit was mesmerized. Viktor’s program looked good on Yuuri.  It was impressive what Yuuri could accomplish when there was no pressure on him.  He had even managed to land the quad lutz, at least once anyway, and only in the context of the program.  Honestly, Phichit was a little jealous, Yuuri actually landed three out of the four quads, the lutz _and_ the flip included, the one he missed was one he should have been able to land, the quad salchow.  Yuuri’s inconsistency was so random, but it mattered little. His skating was beautiful, perfectly executed jumps or not, Phichit loved watching it, and hoped that one day he would be able to perform half as well as Yuuri.

 

“Wow.” Was all Phichit could say when Yuuri finished and skated over to him.

 

Yuuri wiped the sweat from his brow and took a long drink of water.  “What did you think?”

 

“Honestly, I liked it better than when Viktor skated it.”

 

“Really?” Yuuri asked surprised.

 

Phichit nodded enthusiastically. “Yea, something about the way you move, it seems more passionate, expressive. I mean Viktor's great, that's undeniable, but I enjoyed watching your interpretation more.”

 

“Wow, thanks.” Yuuri said, a blush crossing over his cheeks. Letting out a small cough, he stepped off the ice and put his skate guards back on. “You should probably get some practice in too, World’s is only a week and change away.”

 

“Don’t remind me.” Phichit groaned.  “I’m not going to medal anyway, not with the gods, Viktor and Christophe there.  I’ll be lucky if I even make it to the free skate.”

 

“Don’t be so hard on yourself, you're amazing. Besides, there's always next year, you still have time…”  Yuuri said giving him a reassuring smile.

 

“So do you.” Phichit countered, and Yuuri dropped his gaze. Letting out a sigh, Phichit decided to drop the issue and removed his skate guards, stepping onto the ice. Yuuri was stubborn as a mule once he had his mind set to something.  “I can’t believe I only have a week and so left with you.  Too bad we can’t go to Tokyo a few days early and hang out… Seoul was so boring without you.”

 

“I should tell Leo and Guang-Hong you said that.”  Yuuri teased.

 

“You should.  They agree.  It’s not the same without you.”

 

“How so? I don’t really contribute that much…”

 

“Lies.” Phichit gasped.  “You’re the life of the party.”

 

Yuuri narrowed his eyes at his friend suspiciously, “Really?”

 

Phichit squeaked and began to sweat a little under the intensity of Yuuri’s stare.  He probably shouldn’t have mentioned all that, Yuuri probably still had no idea what he was like when he was drunk, and it was such a fun secret to keep.  “Uhh… yea… we love you.  So much.  Pre-practice selfie?” He said pulling out his phone and snapping a quick picture before putting his phone down and pushing off, leaving a slightly bewildered Yuuri standing by the rink wondering what Phichit was talking about.

 

When he was finally afforded a break, Phichit plopped himself down onto the bleachers and unlocked his phone. Posting the picture, he giggled to himself at the incredulous expression on Yuuri’s face, as the expected notification came flashing across his screen.

  


 

 

Suddenly everything fell into place.

 

Phichit understood.

 

Viktor must have fallen in love with drunk Yuuri, and honestly, who wouldn't? Drunk Yuuri was the thing dreams were made of, of course drunk Yuuri also doesn't remember shit.

 

It would explain everything, and it made Phichit absolutely giddy to know that he knew something no one else on the world knew. Not even the two people involved. _This_ is what he lived for. Oh the thrill of knowledge. This was good, and these two dorks, they were too much.

 

Phichit decided he wasn't going to meddle, at least not a lot. Viktor didn’t need to know that Yuuri doesn’t remember, it was more fun that way. And Yuuri, Yuuri definitely doesn’t need to know that he threw himself at Viktor, it was going to so more fun that way.  What he was going to do was steer Viktor in the right direction without revealing too much. Viktor was already head over heels in love with Yuuri, and Yuuri, well to say Yuuri was completely smitten by Viktor would be a severe understatement.   _This_ was the answer to all of Phichit’s problems, well one of the problem s Phichit had anyway, which was how to get Yuuri to not give up skating.

 

If drunk Yuuri asked Viktor to be his coach, it would mean that deep down inside, that's what sober Yuuri really wanted. It made sense to him. Yuuri always shone the brightest when he was copying Viktor's routines. Heck he even landed a quad lutz because he was emulating Viktor. Having Viktor coach him would be the best thing to ever happen to the skating world. It was something Phichit just simply _had_ to make happen, and now, he was armed with the information he needed to succeed.

 

World's was going to be fun, regardless of how he'll do, he’ll ultimately win. He’ll make Viktor so thirsty for Yuuri that the man would be willing to do just about _anything,_ even give up his own skating career to get to Yuuri.  It was going to be divine, and Phichit knew, he knew that if _anyone_ could convince Yuuri to keep skating it would be Viktor. He was the one who inspired Yuuri to begin staking to begin with, Phichit couldn’t think of a better way to get Yuuri to continue skating.

 

“Phichit, hey Phichit! You there?”

 

Phichit looked up from his phone to see Yuuri staring at him, waving a hand in his face. He must have zoned out, it happens. Shaking his head he smiled at Yuuri, “Yea, sorry, got absorbed thinking about something.”

 

“I figured. I asked you if you wanted to go grab something to eat.” Yuuri said as he removed his skates.

 

“You know I never turn down eating with you.” Phichit said, dropping his own skates into his bag. “Let's go out tonight,  it's been a while.”

 

“Okay, but you're still not old enough for the bars yet.”

 

“Says you.” Phichit replied with a mischievous grin. “My Michigan driver's license says different.”

 

“You didn't.”

 

“I did.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Tumblr post of Instagram chat](http://ishxallxgood.tumblr.com/post/156281226807/chapter-5-re-yuri-katsuki-instagram-pictures)
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> [Cleaned banquet pictures](http://ishxallxgood.tumblr.com/post/156223120557/so-im-writing-this-fic-ill-post-it-here-later)


	6. Chapter 6

“YUURI! I’M GOING TO BE SAD!” Phichit wailed as they made their way through the Detroit Metropolitan Airport.

 

“I know.” Yuuri said solemnly.  “I’m going to miss you too, but I think I really need this.”

 

_ Yes, yes you do _ . Phichit though,  _ and if I’ll have anything to do with this, Viktor will be in Hasetsu soon enough, now to starve him to death _ . Phichit dropped himself onto a bench by the gate, “Are you sure you don’t want to go do something when we get to Tokyo? We could go out, find a cute cat cafe or something, though I’d prefer a hamster one, find a bar, have a night out in town!  It’ll be so fun.”

 

“No… I don’t think so Phichit.  Besides, Ciao-Ciao would kill us if we did that the night before a competition.” Yuuri said pulling out his phone.

 

“No, no, you boys go out, have fun.  It’ll be the last time you guys get to spend time together like this, who am I to stop you?” Celestino said with a smile, sitting down across from them.  “Besides, the next day is a practice day anyway, so Phichit will be fine.”

 

Phichit could have just about kissed his coach right there and then, but one, that would be gross, and two, ew.  Phichit would have to think of a way to avoid Viktor though, that was going to be a feat. Perhaps if he simply avoided the hotel for a while he might be able to shake him, besides, it’s not like Yuuri wants to hang around that minefield of press and media. He would also have to be careful about what he posted though, that would be a dead giveaway, he might have to refrain from posting altogether, but who was he kidding, he was Phichit Chulanont: King of Instagram, it would be a crime if he didn't post his adventures.

 

When they finally boarded the plane and settled down in their seats, Phichit pulled out his phone and leaned into Yuuri, quickly snapping a picture.  Typing out the caption he felt an uncomfortable knot twist inside his stomach. ‘ _ Tokyo bound. Taking World’s by storm! #lastskateoftheseason #bestiesforlife #YuriKatsuki _ ’ It hurt, knowing that in a week, there would be no more hashtag bestie, no more hashtag Yuri Katsuki.  It was just going to be Phichit+Chu.

 

Alone.

 

In Detroit.

 

In a space they made theirs together.

 

Pushing the depressing thoughts out of his mind he put on a happy face, “So… where are you going to take me first?” Phichit asked poking Yuuri in the arm.

 

“I don’t know, but do you mind if we go somewhere far away from the vicinity of the competition?  I don’t think I can handle the stress of being recognized and questioned.” Yuuri replied, and Phichit nodded enthusiastically, it was his plan after all, to avoid the vicinity of the competition. How else would he be able to ensure Viktor couldn't find them?

 

The flight over to Tokyo was long, but pleasant, and thankfully direct. Phichit was able to catch a few hours of sleep, which was nice because that meant they could go right into sightseeing and not have to risk dawdling at the hotel.  Two hours before landing Phichit let out a yawn and pulled out his phone turning on the in-flight wifi, putting on his game face as he pulled up his missed messages.

  


 

Chuckling to himself, Phichit went about answering his other messages, clearing notifications, completely ignoring the onslaught of additional messages Viktor was sending him.

 

Game on.

 

When they landed in Tokyo, Celestino was an angel and offered to bring their luggage to the hotel for them, so they could go explore the city without being seen. Phichit was beyond excited to paint the town red with Yuuri, and Yuuri, being the best friend in the world brought Phichit to a small cafe called Moff Rell, in the Akihabara district. Phichit was ecstatic to find out that instead of cats it was a rabbit cafe because evidently he was right and hamster cafes didn't exist. Phichit made sure to get a picture of them with as many rabbits surrounding them as he could, making sure there were no identifiable markings before posting the picture.

 

Afterwards they dropped by a store called Kotobukiya because Yuuri wanted to see if they had any new Viktor paraphernalia that he didn't already own, only to be horrified to find out that they sold a dakimakura in his own liking. Phichit found it hilarious and wanted to buy one, claiming he needed something to remind him of Yuuri after he leaves him, but Yuuri forbade him, so Phichit dropped a pin and made a mental note to come back at a later time.  

 

When Yuuri finally found the thing he was looking for, Phichit quickly snuck a picture of himself with the dakimakura and sent it to Viktor. Yuri hadn’t noticed because he was thoroughly distracted by whatever Viktor paraphernalia he had found. Without waiting for a response, Phichit closed the chat, silenced his phone, and put it back into his pocket before catching up with Yuuri.

 

The rest of the day Phichit made it a point to take as many selfies with Yuuri as humanly possible, making sure all his posts had just enough to show they were indeed in Tokyo, but not enough to give away their exact location.  It was late by the time they started heading back toward the hotel, and Phichit couldn't help but wonder if Viktor would be waiting in the lobby for them. He couldn't let that happen, allowing Viktor to see Yuuri now would most definitely derail his plans. Pulling out his phone, he pulled up his direct messages, ignored the fifty from Viktor and scrolled down to an old message from two months ago.

  


 

Smirking to himself Phichit made his way off the train, following after Yuuri as they made their way into the hotel and found Celestino at the bar. Grabbing the room keys, they bid their coach good night, and Phichit took a quick selfie with Yuuri in the bar for good measure, posting it when they got back to the room with the caption, ' _ Made it to World's with my bestie. #bestcheeringsquadever #hotelbar #ImlegalinJapan #YuriKatsuki’ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Tumblr link for pics](http://ishxallxgood.tumblr.com/post/156303632757/chapter-6-or-re-yuri-katsuki-instagram-pictures)


	7. Chapter 7

“Phichit Chulanont!”

 

Phichit didn’t need to turn around to know who it was calling his name. Nevermind the heavy Russian accent and the very distinct voice, he knew who it was because for the better part of the past eighteen hours he had been ignoring all of Viktor’s messages. Putting on the most innocently confused smile he could conjure, he turned around to face the angry Russian behind him.

 

“Viktor Nikiforov?” He gasped with feigned shock. “Oh my god, I never would have thought that you knew my name! Selfie?”

 

Before Viktor could even respond, Phichit had already pulled out his phone and held it out, taking the picture when Viktor couldn’t resist the camera in his face and flashed Phichit his signature million dollar smile. Quickly typing out a caption he posted the picture and turned his attention back to Viktor. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”

 

“Phichit!” Viktor whined, falling against him, clinging onto him as if he was a life preserver. “Why the sudden cold shoulder!? Why have you been ignoring all my messages? I thought we were friends! I went to the bar last night, right after you posted the picture but you guys had already left.”

 

Celestino gave Phichit a questioning look, shrugged and then went back to whatever it was he was doing, leaving Phichit alone to deal with Viktor's dramatics.

 

“I was busy, sorry?” Phichit said, the innocent smile still playing on his lips.

 

“Busy exploring Tokyo with  _ my _ Yuri and leaving me out to whither away on my own.” Viktor bemoaned.

 

Phichit let out a small chuckle, “I didn't leave you out, I left a trail of Instagram pictures, you could have come out to join us.”

 

Viktor lifted himself off of Phichit and pouted, pulling out his phone and swiping through the pictures. “Yes, but you failed to add a location to any of the pictures! Do you realize how big Tokyo is? I didn't even know where to start looking!”

 

Offering Viktor an apologetic smile Phichit shrugged. “Oops?”

 

“And this picture you sent me! What is that!?  Where can I get it?  Why do I not already have it!?” Viktor practically screamed, brandishing his phone in Phichit's face.

 

“Oh that,” Phichit said trying to stifle a laugh, “that is what the Japanese call a dakimakura.”  _ And you should see the one Yuuri has of you, scandalous _ , Phichit wanted to add, but stayed his tongue. “Here,” he offered, sending Viktor the pin he had dropped yesterday, “that's where we saw it.”

 

Glancing at his phone, Viktor's eyes lit up, and before Phichit could comprehend what just happened, Viktor had grabbed him by the face and kissed him, before excitedly bouncing around again. “Where is my beloved Yuri anyway?” Viktor asked searching all around them. “I've been looking forward to seeing him again.”

 

“Uhh…” Phichit said, trying to wrap his mind around what just happened, “I thought I told you already, he didn't qualify.”

 

“What? When? I don't remember this.” Viktor exclaimed and Phichit let out a sigh, grabbing Viktor's hand scrolling through the conversation he already had open.  Viktor simply blinked at the screen, reading over the words before grabbing Phichit by the shoulders, staring down into his eyes. “Seriously, I have no idea what that even means.”

 

Phichit let out an exasperated sigh, wondering if there was something seriously wrong with this guy. Who would have thought that  _ the _ Viktor Nikiforov would be this goddamn  _ special _ . “Google it some time, it'll make for an interesting read.”

 

“Okay!~” He replied cheerfully, unclasping his hands. “In the meantime where is my Yuri?”

 

It took every ounce of willpower for Phichit not to facepalm, as he could have sworn they had literally just gone over this. “Probably out exploring Tokyo.” He replied with a shrug, schooling his emotions. “Today's a practice day, so I don't think he'll be around here for no reason. Though he might be back at the hotel sleeping, he gets jetlag like something fierce. I don't get it, he slept on the plane too but whatever.”

 

“So he's not here in the building?” Viktor continued to press, still looking around.

 

“Not that I know of.” Phichit said, as the announcement that the practice session for men's singles would be starting in five minutes. “I got to go, see you on the ice?”

 

“What was that all about?” Celestino asked handing Phichit his skate guards as he stepped off the ice.

 

“What was what all about?”

 

“That whole scene with Nikiforov.”

 

Phichit let out a laugh as he began unlacing his skates. “Get this, Yuuri got wasted and asked him to be his coach at the Grand Prix final banquet.”

 

“Ah yes, I was there for that. Poor Yuuri, he was so far gone that night. I felt kind of bad forcing him to go.” 

 

“I'm glad you made him go though, otherwise we would never have been able to have such a golden opportunity.” Phichit replied, shouldering his bag. “Picture this Ciao-Ciao, Yuuri coming back to the skating world, because Viktor Nikiforov offers to be his coach.”

 

“That's absurd.” Celestino said with a dry laugh. “Why would he even agree to something like that, when he has his own career still ahead of him.”

 

Phichit let out a hearty laugh, “because my dear coach, you might not be aware of this yet, but Viktor Nikiforov is thirsty as fuck for our precious little Yuuri… and by the time this competition is over, I'll have him so parched that all Yuuri would have to do is smile in his general direction and he'd throw everything away just for a chance to tap that.”

 

“Sorry, come again?” Celestino said, utterly confused.

 

“I'm working on breaking him Ciao-Ciao. You want to see Yuuri skate again right? I know I do.” Phichit said with a devious grin and a longing in his eyes.

 

Celestino shook his head, and Phichit could see he agreed to an extent but wasn't exactly sold on the idea. “Yes, that would be ideal. But at the cost of losing Nikiforov? I don't know if it's worth it.”

 

“Oh it's worth it. You and I both know the potential hidden deep inside of Yuuri. Viktor already had his moment, five times… retirement rumors are flying everywhere… sure he might be able to pull off another season or two, but our Yuuri, our Yuuri has the potential to shake this sport… Our Yuuri is the definition of a diamond in the rough.” Phichit said excitedly, and this time Celestino actually nodded in agreement. Yuuri's potential was undeniable, and he knew that Celestino had been trying to unlock it for years.  “Which reminds me, can you do me a favor?”

 

“Depends of the favor.”

 

“Keep Viktor distracted for a little bit?”

 

“Okay… but may I ask why?”

 

“Well…” Phichit started, rubbing the back of his neck, “Remember when I said I was working on breaking Viktor?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Well, the way I’ve been doing that is by withholding Yuuri… I need to find Yuuri and disappear… like poof.” He said waving his hands.  “And I have to make sure Viktor can’t follow us.”

 

“How would he even know where to find you?” Celestino questioned, and Phichit knew his coach thought he was out of his mind.

 

“Goes back to the thirsty as fuck comment.” Phichit laughed.  “He’s been stalking my Instagram.”

 

“Wow.” Celestino exclaimed with a laugh. “Who would have thought.  Okay, I'll see what I can do. I can't promise anything.”

 

With that Celestino clapped Phichit on the back, and made his way toward the Russian team. A positively wicked grin flashed across Phichit's face when he caught Viktor's eye for a second and he gave the older man a wink as Celestino intercepted them.  Celestino said something to Viktor's coach Yakov, which caused the frown on the already irate looking Russian man to deepen and a string of enraged Russian escaped Yakov, causing Viktor to groan and sigh audibly.  Phichit let out a laugh and gave Viktor a curt wave as Celestino caught up with him, draping an arm around his shoulder as they headed out.

 

“How was that?” His coach asked him with a laugh.

 

“What did you even say to him anyway?” Phichit inquired.

 

“Just an offhanded comment about how Nikiforov seemed rather distracted by his phone lately.” Celestino said with a hearty laugh.

 

“You’re a genius.” Phichit said as his phone went off in his pocket, and he didn't have to look back to know that Viktor undoubtedly had his phone out and was furiously typing away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ha, no screenshots for once. xD


	8. Chapter 8

Phichit let out an exhausted sigh as he fell onto the bed, kicking off his shoes.  Celestino was evidently a genius, because after the initial onslaught of messages as he was exiting the building, there had been nothing for hours.  That one comment Celestino made to Yakov, clearly did the trick, and Phichit had been able to spend an entire afternoon with Yuuri worry free that Viktor would find them.

 

Tokyo was a great city, and getting to explore it with Yuuri was even better. Phichit didn’t want to believe that he had a day, possibly two tops, left with Yuuri.  He didn’t know what he was going to do without Yuuri.  It’s not like he didn’t have friends back in Detroit, he had plenty of friends, but he only had one Yuuri.  One person who was always there for him when no one else was, who understood his all struggles, who supported his craziest dreams, who always stood by his side, even when things weren’t pretty, who he would literally cut a bitch to protect.

 

“How do you feel?” Yuuri asked as he exited the bathroom, already dressed for bed.

 

“I’ve been better, but okay I suppose.” Phichit replied, fighting back the negativity.  He hated feeling this way, it wasn’t in his nature, but he was losing his Yuuri, so he supposed he could give himself a little grace.

 

“I’m sorry.” Yuuri said, sitting down next to Phichit.  “Anything I can do to help? Not that I’m great with pre-competition nerves.”

 

“Huh?” Phichit asked, sitting up.  “I’m not nervous about tomorrow… I’m upset about the fact that you’re leaving…”

 

“Oh,” Yuuri breathed.  “I’m sorry.  I know this is hard for you, it’s hard for me too… but I just can’t.  I can’t do this all over again, I can’t go another year just to choke when it mattered the most… I can’t do so bad that Viktor wouldn’t even realize the fact that I was a fellow competitor… I’m sorry.”  Yuuri wiped at the tears forming in his eyes and Phichit felt something snap inside of him.

 

“Oh it’s okay,” Phichit said reassuringly giving Yuuri a hug.  “Don’t beat yourself up too much about it.  I get it, this is what you need right now, and I support it. I mean sure, my support might come with the hope that one day you’ll change your mind and come back, but I support your decision… for now.”

 

“Thanks.” Yuuri gave him a weak smile.  “So how are you feeling about tomorrow?”

 

“Pretty good actually.” Phichit chirped, pulling out his phone. “I mean like I said back in Detroit, it’s not like I’m expecting to medal, I’m here to have fun.”

 

“I wish I could think like that.” Yuuri said letting out a yawn.  “Maybe then I wouldn’t have the tendency to choke so bad… the night before a competition was always the worst for me…”   
  
“I know.” Phichit said patting him on the back.  “You don’t have to worry on my behalf, like I said, I’m here to have fun.”  _ And totally fuck with Viktor Nikiforov’s head. _ “Are you sure you’ll be okay coming tomorrow?”

 

Yuuri just nodded in response. “I’ll be fine. I can’t not come and cheer you on… I’ll just keep a low profile, I mean the seat I got isn’t even that good… good enough for me to peg you with all the hamster plushies I could get my hands on, but not good enough for anyone to actually notice me.”

 

“Oh? Is that what those bags are over there?  You know… you could just give them to me now…” Phichit tried to leap off the bed and dash toward the bags, but Yuuri was faster and threw his weight onto him, effectively pinning him to the bed.

 

“That is for tomorrow.”

 

“Okay fine.” Phichit conceded, pushing Yuuri off of him.  “I’m gonna go get ready for bed.” He said, getting up and grabbing a few things before heading over to the bathroom, while he unlocked his phone.

 

  
  


Phichit laughed softly to himself and put his phone down, quickly changing and brushing his teeth before making his way back into the room plugging the phone in before slipping into bed.

 

“How excited are you?” Phichit asked the next morning as they headed out of the hotel and toward the arena.

 

“Bro, I’m terrified.” Yuuri murmured from behind his mask.

 

“Oh you’ll be fine… and just think, you get to watch Viktor skate in person again!” Phichit offered, looking around to make sure Viktor wasn’t actually there.  “Selfie before I go in?”

 

“Sure.” Yuuri said letting out a sigh as he pulled down his mask and gave Phichit a smile, replacing the mask the moment the camera went off.  “Go slay them in there.”

 

“Ha, yea right.  Like I said, I’m here to have fun, next year, I’ll show them the true glory of Thailand next year.” Giving Yuuri a quick hug Phichit went in through the competitor’s doors, smirking to himself as he watched Yuuri stalk off and disappear into the crowd and hitting the share button.

  


 

Phichit shoved his phone into his sweatshirt and made his way out of the locker rooms, recoiling when he opened the door and almost walked into a grinning Viktor Nikiforov.

 

“Dude, he’s not here.” Phichit said pushing past him.

 

“What!?” Viktor asked poking his head into the locker room anyway, calling out Yuuri’s name.

 

“Have you googled that thing about qualifying yet? I mean that might help get through your head why he wouldn’t be here.” Phichit offered as they made their way toward the ice, Celestino coming up next to him.

 

“Yes, but it didn’t really make a lot of sense to me, so I asked Yakov, who just looked at me strangely and then started yelling at me, so I gave up.”  Viktor replied.  “Anyway, that picture, he’s  _ here _ though, right?”

 

“If by  _ here _ you mean in the building somewhere amongst the other thousands of other people here, then yes, he’s here… somewhere.  He actually didn’t tell me which section his seats are in.” Phichit said pulling out his phone.

 

“Are you going to text him?” Viktor asked looking over his shoulder.

 

“No…?” Phichit said shifting away from him, “Maybe?  Could you maybe give me some space or something?”

 

“VITYA!” Phichit heard Yakov scream, followed by a string of angry Russian that Phichit did not understand.

 

Phichit raised an eyebrow at him, and grinned.  “Your coach is looking for you.”  He offered, inclining his head toward the raging Russian and Celestino chuckled at his side.

 

“You are devious.” Celestino pointed out with a grin once Viktor stalked off, grumbling to himself in Russian. “Remind me to stay on your good side.”

 

“I'm offended Ciao-Ciao. I only use my powers for good.” Phichit exclaimed dramatically, placing his hand over his heart.

 

“Yes, yes. You are a cute innocent little hamster.” He said with a laugh. “He really is quite smitten by our little Yuuri, isn't he.”

 

“Told you.  Phichit knows all things.  You should know this by now Ciao-Ciao.” Phichit replied with a grin, and Celestino simply shook his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Tumblr post for pictures](http://ishxallxgood.tumblr.com/post/156347193822/chapter-8-posts-for-re-yuri-katsuki-no-i-didnt)


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seriously, you guys are the best. I'm in awe at how much love this is getting, though I mean Phichit is pretty much the best so I shouldn't be too surprised.
> 
> You guys rock.
> 
> Oh and I figured I should mention this. I'm not trying to make Viktor look like a dumbass, I just honestly believe he has no idea what qualifications are all about. I mean I'm pretty sure he never had to worry about qualifying ever. So it just seems natural to just progress to the next round for everything, especially for someone he views as on his level. So it would be really confusing for him to have to consider the fact that some skaters don't actually meet the requirements in a season because the under performed. He just assumes, "Oh, this person can skate, I like the way the skate, so of course they would compete with me because skating yay!"

“Phichit!” Yuuri cried when they entered the hotel room.  “How are you feeling? Are you okay? I’m so sorry!”

  
  
“Hmm?” Phichit hummed with a smile, “Why are you sorry?  I’m fine.  Never been better.”

 

“But… you…”

 

“Didn’t qualify?” Phichit finished for him, “I already told you before, I never expected to get past the short program, come on now Yuuri, did you see what I was up against?  Is that even fair?  I mean Viktor and Chris, Cao Bin… the Canadian… JJ? I mean those guys all have two quads in their programs, I never stood a chance.”

 

“You’re not upset about this at all?” Yuuri pressed, completely bewildered.

 

“Nope.” Phichit said, tossing all the hamster plushies onto the bed before falling down on top of them, throwing one at Yuuri, hitting him on the head.  “What I am upset about is the fact that this is our last night together.”

 

Yuuri let out a heavy sigh and bent over to pick up the fallen hamster before turning to face Phichit.  “I’m sorry…”

 

“You sure like to apologize.” Phichit said with a laugh.  “It’s fine… I’ve come to terms with it already.  It’s what you need right now, I get it.”

 

“Seriously Phichit, you’re too good to me.” Yuuri said plopping down next to him.

 

“I know.” Phichit said as he stacked the hamsters on top of each other.  “How about this, we go out tonight, go crazy, one last hurrah before you leave in the morning… I don’t have to skate tomorrow, so why not just go for it.  Aren’t there some twenty four hour bars?  We can stop when the sun comes up!”

 

A small frown tugged at the corners of Yuuri’s lips, but how could he possibly deny Phichit this one last request.  “Fine…”

 

“YES!” Phichit exclaimed leaping into the air.  “You are indeed the best friend in the world! I’m gonna shower and then get ready, Tokyo, watch out!  Phichit Chulanont and Yuuri Katsuki are coming for you, and there ain’t nothing you can do about it!”

 

Phichit was over the moon. They were out, Yuuri was drunk and dancing the night away. Phichit would have died happy that night, but no, he had a mission. Yuuri  _ needed _ to get back on the ice.

 

“Yuuri!~ Club selfie!” Phichit called, and an intoxicated Yuuri ambled over to him, his face flushed, hair damp with sweat, glasses askew. Removing Yuuri's glasses, Phichit ran his hand through Yuuri's hair slicking it back a little. “Okay, now look at the camera as if I was going to send this picture to Viktor Nikiforov himself asking him to come out and play with us.”

 

“Okay!~” Yuuri sang cocking his head to the side as he looked at the camera.  The shutter of the camera went off, the image flashing and Yuuri waltzed off to dance again while Phichit examined the picture.

 

It was perfection.  

 

It was even better than he ever could have imagined.  Yuuri’s eyes were half lidded, there was a slight turn of his lips, parted just enough for his tongue to teasingly peak out, his cheeks flushed by the alcohol.  Phichit tested the waters, he sent Viktor a message, something short, suggestive, and waited.

 

Nothing.

 

Viktor Nikiforov the man who responded within seconds every time did not take the bait.  Phichit checked the time, it was well past two in the morning, and Viktor had to skate tomorrow, so there was a good chance he was asleep.  Phichit tried again, another text, explicitly mentioning the fact that Yuuri was drunk.

 

Still nothing.

 

It was safe, but just to be sure Phichit waited a few minutes before sending Viktor the picture.  He would have posted it publicly, but even he had some sort of common decency.  Sure, Yuuri was hot as fuck, but Yuuri was also wasted off his ass, and Phichit respected the fact that sober Yuuri would have been mortified if he posted that picture, even if he couldn't understand why, because honestly, it was a good photo.  It didn't matter though, there were a slew of drunk Yuuri pictures that would never see the light of day, this was just one more for that collection.

 

By the time they made their way back to the hotel, the sun was already peeking out from the eastern horizon, and how they even got back was beyond Phichit.  They were both pretty smashed, although Yuuri was far more gone than Phichit. Luckily, Yuuri was an agreeable drunk, and Phichit had years of practice on how to navigate blackout drunk Yuuri.

 

When Phichit finally pulled himself out of bed to destroy Yuuri's phone which honestly had the most obnoxious alarm ever, the sun was already high in the sky. Still asleep, Yuuri looked like death, and Phichit felt kind of bad waking him.  

 

“Yuuri…” He said softly, shaking his friend gently. “Yuuuuuuuri!~” Phichit leaned in closer, his face millimeters from Yuuri's ear, “Viktor Nikiforov is standing in front of you naked.” He whispered loudly before pulling back, seconds before Yuuri bolted upright and then groaned.

 

“Oh my god my head…” Yuuri lamented, head in hands as he glared up at Phichit through his fingers. “What did you do to me last night? And you really need to stop waking me up like that, my heart can’t take it for much longer.”

 

“Water?” Phichit offered with a smile, holding out a bottle for Yuuri, who took it graciously and downed it.

 

“Thanks.”

 

“So you sure you don't want to stay for the free skate?” Phichit asked, already knowing the answer.

 

“Yea I'm sure…” Yuuri swung his legs over the side of the bed and got up, checking the time on his phone before letting out a heavy sigh. “I have an hour to get to the train station if I want to get home in time to watch Viktor skate.”

 

“Okay.” Phichit said unplugging his own phone, smirking at the slew of messages Viktor left him. “You go get ready, I'll pack up the rest of your things.”

 

“Thanks.” Came Yuuri's response from inside the bathroom.

 

Phichit dashed around the room, grabbing everything that belonged to Yuuri and shoved it into his orange suitcase, tossing in a hamster for good measure before zipping it up. Plopping down onto the bed he ventured a look at Viktor's reaction to his present from the night before.

  
  
  


 

Satisfied, Phichit put his phone away and waited for Yuuri. Mentally bracing himself for the walk over to the train station. He promised himself he wasn't going to cry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Tumblr Pictures](http://ishxallxgood.tumblr.com/post/156387853177/chapter-9-of-re-yuri-katsuki-instagram-pictures)


	10. Chapter 10

He had done well. He was able to say goodbye to Yuuri and take a picture all without crying. He stayed until the train pulled away from the station before getting up to leave.

 

The walk back to the hotel was long, solemn, and lonely, and he missed having Yuuri by his side already. Entering the room he glanced at the empty space Yuuri's things had occupied before falling down onto one of the beds. Setting his alarm Phichit closed his eyes and told himself that if everything goes as planned, Yuuri will be back on the ice before he knew it and all would be right with the world again.

 

When the alarm went off, Phichit rubbed his eyes and sat up. Looking around he oriented himself before grabbing his credentials and making his way back to the arena. His heart was still heavy with the weight of Yuuri leaving, but he needed to focus now. Shaking his head he put on a smile. There were things he needed to do, games to play, plans to fulfill, ships to sail. He could do it. He was Phichit Chulanont after all.

 

Back to the game. 

 

Phichit pulled up Instagram and posted the picture. ' _ Goodbye friend, see you on the flip side. #distancecantbreakus #besties forever #imgonnamissyou #itsnotforforever #homeiswhereyourheartis #YuriKatsuki’ _  Letting out a breath he checked the time, men's singles would have started already, they must have been on the third group by now. Viktor was skating last, as usual, which would mean Viktor would be in the holding area stretching and probably wouldn’t have noticed the post yet.  His phone buzzed in his hand, and he glanced at the notification. Nope, Phichit was wrong, he never should have doubted Viktor’s dedication to stalking his Instagram feed.

 

 

Sighing Phichit put his phone away and continued to make his way through the arena.  Entering the skater’s warm up area, Phichit quickly picked out Viktor, who was standing off to the side furiously typing away at his phone, his coach Yakov yelling at him, trying to get him to focus.

 

“Dude, you can stop messaging me now, I'm like literally right behind you.”

 

“Phichit!~” Viktor turned around with flourish and enveloped him in a hug before holding him out at arm's length. “Now explain yourself.”

 

“I'm not sure what you want me to say... it's pretty straightforward… Yuuri went home.” Phichit said, schooling his face to remain impassive, a slight smirk crossing his lips as he continued. “Got on a train, you know they're these machines that run on electricity and rails, and here in Japan they go pretty fast-”

 

“Stop, I know what a train is.” Viktor pouted.

 

“Oh you do? Sorry, just wanted to be sure because I never know with you.” He teased, the cheeky grin still playing on his lips.  “He should be there by now…”

 

“But… is he not going back to Detroit with you? Isn't that where his home rink is?” Viktor asked, clearly flustered and very confused.

 

“Was.” Phichit corrected, the smirk fading. “That's where his home rink was.”

 

Viktor's mouth dropped open. “Wait what? So you're saying he’s moving his home rink to Japan?”

 

“No.  Not exactly…” Phichit said, controlling the quiver that wanted to break free as he forced his voice to be devoid of any emotion. “Yuuri decided to take a break from skating.”   This was a lot harder than he had expected it to be.

 

“But… that just so illogical!” Viktor exclaimed. “He is so beautiful on the ice… perfect really.”

 

“You’re preaching to the choir, buddy.” Phichit let out a sigh. “But apparently he lost his passion… his spark…” He chose to omit the fact that the past few weeks, it would seem as if Yuuri had found it again, his inspiration that was, rekindled his first love.  Then again, Viktor’s program was the only thing he seemed motivated to skate, and that definitely wouldn’t fly in competition so it wasn't like he exactly lying. “He’s always been a bundle of nerves and anxiety… he usually fights through it and bounces back… but recently he’s lost his will to fight...”

 

Viktor shook his head furiously in disbelief, and for a second Phichit thought he looked like a confused puppy. “I… but… what happened?”

 

Phichit shrugged. “A lot I suppose.” He said sadly, Yuuri's words resounding in his head. “I mean he had spent the past five years working so hard to even be able to compete on the same ice as his idol… and this year, he finally makes it.  Like he actually made it. Past the qualifying rounds, into the Grand Prix final… and he had a chance, he really did.  Maybe not to win, but definitely to medal.  I knew his program. I’ve seen him do it, but then he gets this heartbreaking news right before his free skate and he bombs it.  Like ends up dead last, and feels like shit about himself… but you know what the clincher was?”

 

Phichit bit his bottom lip so he wouldn’t cry, as Viktor softly shook his head no.  Letting out a dry laugh he continued, “The clincher was… when he was feeling the lowest about himself, his idol… the one person he looked up to more than anyone else in the world… the man who had inspired him to skate to begin with… who he would give his left kidney to if he would only look his way and acknowledge him… offers him a fucking commemorative photo. A fucking commemorative photo.” He repeats, really driving the point home. “Like he was some sort of nobody… a mere fan… like he wasn’t even good enough to be considered a skater, an equal.” Phichit swallowed hard, he was definitely getting more worked up than he had intended, but verbalizing it, it made him realize how incredibly angry he actually was at the person standing before him. No wonder he was being such a dick to Viktor, not that it wasn't half in jest and to mold Viktor to his will, but he definitely could have been nicer about it.

 

All the color on Viktor’s face drained and his hands shook as he processed the words Phichit just said.  Phichit dropped the metaphorical mic and turned on his heel, leaving the room before Viktor had a chance to speak or defend his past actions.  His expression spoke volumes though, and as Phichit walked further and further away, he could feel that anger inside of him dissipate, because in the end, Viktor Nikiforov felt remorse and fully regretted crushing Yuuri's dreams. Phichit felt a small smirk tug at the corner of his lips.

 

Game. Set. Match.

  
Making his way into the stands it dawned upon him that he had dropped this bomb on Viktor about ten minutes before he was supposed to skate. He felt a little bad about it, but Viktor deserved it. He deserved it for making Yuuri feel so low about himself. He deserved it for making Yuuri think he wasn't good enough. He deserved it because it almost,  _ almost _ , made Yuuri actually retire from skating. Then again this was Viktor  _ fucking _ Nikiforov, and if anyone could shake something like this off and skate like a god, it would be him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll start collecting your tickets for the feelz train now. It'll be pulling into the station next chapter.
> 
> I'm sorry. Don't hate me.
> 
>  
> 
> [Tumblr Pic here](http://ishxallxgood.tumblr.com/post/156420778047/chapter-10-re-yuri-katsuki-fic)


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be collecting those tickets to the feelz train now.
> 
> Welcome aboard, let's go on this ride together.

Phichit kicked the door of the apartment closed, tossing his keys onto the table before dragging his bags to the middle of the living room.  It was strange, coming home to a half empty apartment, not that they really furnished it that much or anything, but it was weird coming home and not being greeted by Viktor Nikiforov's face.

 

He'd have to say though, he was kind of grateful for that fact, because honestly, Viktor's face was the last thing he wanted to see right now. World's had been interesting. He indeed did have fun stringing Viktor along, teasing him relentlessly by keeping Yuuri at bay, but in the end, having to actually part with Yuuri outweighed everything else and he was just left with a bitter feeling in his mouth.

 

Right now all he had going for him was the hope that Viktor really meant all those ridiculous things he kept messaging him, and that in the end Yuuri will go back to skating. A world without Yuuri on the ice, was not a world worth living in. Hopefully Viktor can fix what he messed up and coax Yuuri back onto the ice. Phichit really believed that if anyone could do it, it would be Viktor.

 

Sighing he stared at the bags in the middle of the floor and debated unpacking. He hated unpacking, it was such a chore to sort through everything and put things away. Phichit decided not to unpack, he did however drag the bag of hamsters Yuuri had thrown at him and emptied it onto his bed. He then went back into the living room and unzipped his luggage, only to grab the thing he wanted, leaving the rest there, opened in the center of the room. It wasn't like Yuuri was going to come home and yell at him for leaving his shit everywhere because Yuuri was never coming back to this little apartment ever again.

 

Entering the bedroom again he placed the dakimakura on Yuuri's now bare bed, sitting it up before taking a seat on his own bed across from it. It felt weird, but having pillow Yuuri there to keep him company was better than having no Yuuri at all.

 

Phichit groaned as he phone began going off again. It had been going off non stop for the past two days, and for one of those days he was literally on a plane for fifteen hours. He had honestly considered uninstalling Instagram or blocking him again, but had a feeling Viktor would just annoy the shit out of him via different SNS outlets and he was not prepared to go completely offline, ever.

 

He tried to get his mind off of the fact that Yuuri wasn't there anymore. All he just wanted was life to feel normal again, but it wasn't going to be. It was never going to be normal again. Normalcy I'm Detroit was having Yuuri by his side. Normalcy in Detroit meant early morning runs with Yuuri to the rink and then skating until their feet bleed and they were bruised all over from all the falls. It meant laughing together over lunch with ice packs on their hips before heading off to class. It meant discovering new places together, taking a million pictures together, getting lost together, calling Celestino at three in the morning because they couldn't get an Uber and was probably on the wrong side of Detroit together.

 

Phichit stared at his phone, at the notifications going off, one after another. It was one in the morning, why in god's name was this man so goddamn selfish.

  


 

The phone slipped out of Phichit's hands and he buried his face into the closest hamster he could get his hands on. The tears were relentless, and a part of him didn't even know what to do anymore. He felt as if half of him was missing, but this was just a friendship, a roommate situation, rink mates sharing a coach, nothing more. He knew at some point in time Yuuri would have had to leave, go do his own thing. Phichit just didn't realize it would be so soon, that it would be now. He didn't realize it would hurt this much.

 

Phichit didn't know how much time had passed, but eventually the his phone stopped buzzing next to him and he was all out of tears. Unwrapping himself from around the large plush he got up and headed into the kitchen. Water would be nice. Taking a deep breath he chanced a glance at his phone, bracing himself for Viktor's ridiculousness.

  


 

Phichit collapsed on the the floor, his back against the counter and he began to cry again until he felt like he couldn't breathe anymore. What was he going to do now? What was life in Detroit without Yuuri?  The obvious answer was go back to Thailand, but it’s not like he can just drop everything here and do that.  Or could he? Their lease was up soon, and he had actually taken this semester off because of Four Continents and World’s, it didn’t make sense to pay for a semester if he wasn’t going to be there for more than half the time.

 

Pushing himself back to his feet, he considered the possibility.  He would have to talk to Celestino about it, but the more he thought about it the better his mood got.  Going back into the bedroom he grabbed pillow Yuuri and told him his plan, before collapsing onto his own bed.

 

The first thing Phichit saw when he opened his eyes was Yuuri's face staring back at him. Letting out a yelp he shot out of bed, only to realize it was the stupid dakimakura he had evidently hugged to sleep the night before. He felt like hell, his head was heavy and his mouth was dry, and he knew it had to do with all the crying he did. Tossing the pillow back onto Yuuri's empty bed he opened the closet to grab some fresh clothes, freezing when he spotted the stack of boxes in the corner.

 

Pulling down the five small packages, he sat down at his desk and laid them out before him. They were all addressed and already to go, and he briefly wondered why Yuuri left them behind.  At least now he could mail them out without feeling guilty.

  


 

Phichit quickly got dressed and grabbed the packages, deciding to drop by the post office before calling Celestino and seeing if they could meet up for breakfast and discuss his plan to return to Thailand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *hands tissues* 
> 
> sorry not sorry
> 
>  
> 
> [Tumblr pics](http://ishxallxgood.tumblr.com/post/156435053662/chapter-11-of-re-yuri-katsuki-instagram-screen)


	12. Chapter 12

Phichit couldn’t believe his ears when he told Celestino about his desire to return to Thailand.  Evidently, Celestino had already considered the fact that Phichit would want to return after Yuuri left, and had been making plans for the past few weeks.  All Phichit would have to do is pack up his things and go, Celestino told him he would help him tie up the loose ends in Detroit and meet him over there in late May, when he finished up here.

 

Phichit felt as if a weight had been lifted off his heart, and within a week everything was all set and ready to go. Things had been quiet, mainly due to the fact that he had been so busy that he really didn't have time to do much posting on social media, and Viktor for his part had been respectful and didn't bother him too much. Sure he would still lament every now and then, and Phichit would feed him with an old photo of Yuuri, just to shut him up for a while.

 

Viktor was getting restless, Phichit could tell.  With the season over he suddenly had a lot of time to dwell on Yuuri and his proposal, as well as his uncertain plans for the future. Phichit did what he could to steer Viktor in the right direction, dropping hints for him to get a visa for Japan, assuring him that Yuuri was serious when he asked Viktor to be his coach. He almost even sent Viktor the video he had or the early stages of Yuuri doing his routine, but it was rough and unpolished, and Yuuri deserved better.  With that Phichit said his last goodbyes to the apartment he had called home for the past three year, to all the memories he created with Yuuri.  He was ready now, to start fresh and create a new future for himself and for skating in Thailand.

 

Thailand was just as wonderful as he remembered it, and his family had been so wonderful in welcoming him back. He skated for them, showed them his love on the ice, and everyone cheered and made him feel like a King.  It made him confident that he could show the people of Thailand just how wonderful ice skating was.  Everything was falling into place, and he was happy again, surrounded by an infectious joy.  There was just one thing that would make his world complete, and that would be Yuuri’s official return to the ice.

 

One night as he was headed home after a long day of skating, Yuuri had called him in a wild panic, ranting about a video which had gone viral. Finding the link his eyes opened wide, and the biggest smile crossed his face. Thank you skating god up in the heavens,  _ this _ was the final piece of the puzzle.  Phichit did what he could to pacify Yuuri before Yuuri declared that he was going offline for a while, Phichit could only laugh and wish his friend the best.

 

When the link was retweeted to him the next morning on his way into practice, he couldn’t help but laugh again, and wonder if Viktor had seen it yet.

  


 

Phichit couldn't help the smile on his face as he entered the rink that day. Viktor was going to Japan. Viktor was actually going to be going to Japan. To be Yuuri's coach.  This was the best thing to ever happen to him.

 

Checking the time he called Celestino.

 

“ _ Ciao, ciao Phichit! How's Thailand treating you? _ ”

 

“It's wonderful! Oh by the way Ciao-Ciao, have you seen the video of Yuuri?”

 

“ _ Yes! It was magnificent! If only that boy could skate like that when it counted. _ ”

 

Phichit grinned, “Oh it counted alright.”

 

“ _ What do you mean? _ ”

 

“I just made Viktor watch it… he said he's gonna go buy a plane ticket to Japan now and declare himself Yuuri's coach.”

 

“ _ That's a little excessive don't you think? Viktor Nikiforov, a coach... _ ”

 

“Ciao-Ciao, I don't think you understand…  _ Viktor _ is going to Japan to become  _ Yuuri's _ coach. YUURI IS GOING TO SKATE COMPETITIVELY AGAIN!” He shrieked into the phone, jumping up with a spin for good measure.

 

“ _ Wow, okay, I don’t need my eardrums or anything. _ ”

 

“Sorry, I'm just so excited! Oh by the way Ciao-Ciao, I've decided on what I want my program music to be this season.”

 

“ _ Really? Let's hear it. _ ”

 

“I want to skate to ' _ Shall we Skate _ ’ from 'The King and the Skater.’” Phichit said excitedly.

 

“ _ Oh? _ ”

 

“Yea! I've been wanting to do it for years now! I'll find a choreographer here, we can go over the program elements when you get here in the summer!”

 

“ _ Sounds good. _ ”

 

“Man this is going to be the best season ever!” Phichit continued to gush, “Yuuri coming back to the ice with Viktor by his side… Ciao-Ciao! We'll get to see a side of Yuuri the world has never known!”

 

“ _ You really think so? _ ”

  
“Oh Ciao-Ciao, I  _ know _ so. Yuuri always shone the brightest while mimicking Viktor, how much more brilliant do you think he'd be with Viktor by his side? I am so excited to see what he's going to bring, so in response I will make sure that my skating this coming season will be a culmination of everything I shared with him this far. It's going to be glorious Ciao-Ciao, fucking glorious.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What are the other presents? Will we ever know? 
> 
> [Tumblr Pics here]()


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Viktor opens the rest of his birthday presents

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not a real chapter.
> 
> Just decided to throw this in here for fun, because I thought about what the other presents should be. xD

Viktor clutched the Makkachin plush close to him as he stared suspiciously at the white box Phichit told him not to open.  

  


 

Okay, fine, he deserved that, but at least he had Yuri’s letter, and that was honestly all that really mattered.  He was actually glad that Phichit mailed him the three year old cookies.  Chancing a glance, he cracked open the tupperware and looked inside.  Evidently three year old cookies just looked like a bunch of black rocks.  Tossing the tupperware in the trash he reached for the next box.

 

It was smaller than the rest, although still beautifully packaged.  He wondered how much time Yuuri put into all these presents.  Even the packaging was perfect.  Phichit’s words replayed in his head,  _ he’s been in love with you for longer than I’ve known him _ , and Viktor couldn’t help but smile again.

 

There was no letter inside of this package, just a beautifully decorated thumb drive, in fact it reminded him of one of his old costumes.  Grabbing his laptop he plugged the device in, opening the .mp4 file on the device.

 

“ _ Hi, I’m Yuri Katsuki, and I just wanted to say happy birthday.  I’ve been a fan of yours since your time in the Junior division, and just wanted to tell you that you’re an inspiration to me.  Thank you so much for existing. _ ”

 

Viktor swooned at video Yuri who had then taken his place behind a gorgeous baby grand piano and started playing.  He instantly recognized the song, and watched in awe as Yuri passionately recreated the music, bringing tears to his eyes.  It was the most wonderful rendition of that song he had ever heard in his life, and he was half tempted to create a new program to express just how enchanting it was.  When it was over he hit the replay button and Yuri’s adorable voice came back on, he could honestly listen to this on loop forever.

 

Grabbing the last package he excitedly opened it, because if it was anything like the rest, he was sure to love it.  Reading over the card quickly he tore at the paper his eyes lighting up as he unraveled a scarf.  Yuri had knitted him a scarf, and it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.  Actually, it was honestly the most god awful thing he had ever laid his eyes on.  It was crooked, and had a bunch of random holes in it, parts of it bunched where it shouldn’t have, but it was made by his Yuri and he loved it.

 

Wrapping the hideous scarf around his neck he went back to the video, grinning as he sat back and hit play again, Makkachin came up next to him rested his head on his lap as Viktor ran a hand through his fur and got lost in Yuri’s music again.


	14. Chapter 14

Phichit was impressed at how quickly Viktor was able to get things done. Four hours after he showed Viktor the video, Viktor had evidently secured a visa and plane tickets. Which could only mean he had actually taken Phichit's advice and applied for the visa a week and change ago. Still it was impressive how quickly he had managed to get them to push the paperwork through.

 

It was happening. It was really happening. Viktor was going to go to Japan and become Yuuri's coach. Phichit was tempted to fly over there just so he could watch the scene unfold. Yuuri was going to lose it. Absolutely lose it, and Phichit wanted to document that, he needed to document that, but how? He would just have to accept the fact that he couldn't possibly be involved in every aspect of Yuuri's life anymore, at least not directly.

 

Lucky for him, with the way Viktor was, he knew he would get frequent updates once he landed in Hasetsu.

  


 

Phichit chuckled to himself as he put his phone back into his pocket. Yuuri was about to get hit with almost four months of sexually frustrated Viktor. He couldn't wait for that call.  It really was a shame he couldn't be there to witness it live. Phichit had half a mind to find Yuuri's sister's number and ask her to record it, but he wasn't friends with her like that so she probably wouldn't appreciate the request.

 

Oh well, at least he knew he'd hear a recount of what happened from both sides, and that made him happy. The more information he could gather the better.

 

So he attempted to carry on his day as if he wasn't impatiently waiting for a call or message. A little over six hours later his phone finally buzzed in his hand and he looked down to see the picture of Vicchan flashing.

 

“Yuuri!” He exclaimed as he accepted the call, schooling his face to contain his excitement. This was going to be one helluva a show, and he needed to play his part perfectly.

 

“ _Phichit… oh my god Phichit, you'll never guess who showed up here today._ ” Yuuri looked flustered, Phichit had expected him to look a little more excited but considering this is Yuuri, flustered was a close second.

 

“The goddess Nike to grant you _victory_?” He ventured, knowing full well who was actually there.

 

“ _No. But close.”_ Yuuri continued, his eyes darting to the posters littered around his room. “ _Viktor Nikiforov. THE Viktor Nikiforov._ ”

 

“Say what!?” Phichit gasped, feigned surprise written all over his features.

 

“ _Phichit… I'm going to die… this… this is too much_.”

 

“Oh? Isn't this like a dream come true for you?”

 

“ _Yes… but you don't understand.”_ Yuuri was nervously looking around again, and Phichit could only wonder what ridiculous thing Viktor did now.

 

“Enlighten me.” He said with a grin. This was going to be fun.

 

“ _Phichit… he told me he was going to be my coach starting today…”_

 

“That's wonderful!” Phichit exclaimed leaping into the air. “That definitely is a dream come true!”

 

“ _Oh it was dreamy alright… get this… he told me he was going to be my coach starting today, while naked… so very naked… in the onsen.”_

 

The laugh that tore through Phichit was something fierce, and at some point he had ended up on the floor clutching the phone to his chest.

 

“ _Phichit stop laughing! This is serious! Viktor Nikiforov just told me he was going to be my coach while in the onsen. Like he freaking stood up. Stood up! While naked! And looked me in the eye... Did I mention while very, very naked, and told me he was going to be my coach. I died Phichit. I died and ascended to heaven.”_

 

“So did you agree?” Phichit inquired, wiping the tears from his eyes.

 

“ _I may or may not have shrieked like a banshee and ran away…”_ Yuri mumbled, his eyes dropping to the floor as his face flushed.

 

A giggle escaped him. Yuuri was always so adorable when embarrassed. “Wow. And you're sure you didn't imagine all this?”

 

“ _Phichit! God knows I imagined something like this more times than I'd like to admit, but this was real. Real Phichit, real! And I swear Phichit, he's more beautiful than I could have ever imagined. Like it's seriously a sin for anyone to be that perfect... Oh my god now I'm thinking about Viktor naked again...”_

 

“Should I let you go?” Phichit asked waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

 

“ _Oh my god Phichit don't even go there…”_ A knock on the door caused Yuuri jump, and Phichit could hear Viktor on the other side. “ _Phichit I gotta go._ ”

 

Phichit saw Yuuri rush toward the door before the phone went dark, and he fell into another fit of laughter. Leave it to Viktor to make something as benign as offering to be someone's coach into a spectacle. Of course Phichit's off handed comments didn't help the situation, but Viktor probably just acted on impulse the way he normally does anyway. Phichit was sure he didn't actually put much thought into his approach or considered how Yuuri would have felt on the receiving end of that… well, proposal.

  


 

Phichit dropped his phone and started laughing uncontrollably again. These two dorks were going to be the death of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Tumblr post of pics](http://ishxallxgood.tumblr.com/post/156524099067/chapter-14-of-re-yuri-katsuki-instagram)


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god, guys, I cannot believe the love this fic has gotten.
> 
> You guys are amazing! I never in a million years would have thought that this would get so much traffic. Thank you!
> 
> Your support makes me want to write this faster... and now that were in canonverse... I'm SO EXCITED BECAUSE CHINA CUP!!!! WHOOOOOOO!~ (we're not there yet... calm... calm...)

“ _Phichit, I think I'm going to die._ ”

 

Phichit laughed, not unkindly, but Yuuri definitely looked like death.  “What’s going on?”

 

“ _Viktor won’t let me on the ice until I lost all my excessive weight…_ ” Yuuri said breathlessly, wiping at the sweat on his brow.

 

“Oh… well that explains why you look like death.” Phichit chirped, earning him a death glare from Yuuri.

 

“ _Har har.  But really… I still have a little over ten pounds to lose… all I want in life right now is a pork cutlet bowl… and get this, Viktor makes it a point to eat them in front of me. Every. Single. Day._ ”

 

“Wow who knew Viktor Nikiforov was such a sadist.”

 

“ _You’re not helping._ ”

 

“What do you want me to do?  Call up Viktor and tell him to stop torturing my best friend?  Give me his number.”

 

Yuuri visibly shrunk back and waved his free hand in the camera.  “ _No, no, no, that’s not necessary…_ ” He insisted frantically, knowing full well Phichit would actually do it. “ _I just wanted to vent to someone._ ”

 

“Okay then, vent away friend.”

 

Yuuri continued to vent for the next fifteen minutes, rambling away about all the food he wasn’t allowed to eat, the insane workouts Viktor was putting him through, how exhausted yet exhilarated he was that Viktor was there. It was nice, FaceTiming Yuuri like this, it had been a week since Viktor had shown up in Hasetsu and after the initial excitement of the first day, he hadn’t heard much from either one of them.

 

He didn’t quite mind the silence though, he was busy with his own things, working out the choreography for his program. The twelve hour time difference with Celestino made collaborating hard, but they were making it work.  Besides, Celestino would be meeting him in Thailand in about a month or so, and they would work out the kinks then.  Phichit didn’t have his coach with him, so he wasn’t trying out too many new jumps, but he knew he needed to perfect at least one quad and start work on another, if he wanted to be able to keep up with Yuuri and the rest.

 

A few days later, Phichit came across an intriguing article on his RSS feed, it honestly confused him more than anything, so he decided to just ask Viktor directly.

  


 

Phichit was relieved, not that he really thought Viktor would abandon Yuuri like that, but still, one could worry for their sensitive friend. The idea of Yuuri skating _Eros_ on the other hand made Phichit giddy with excitement. Yuuri was always so self conscious and constantly fighting with himself that he never realized just how enticing of a man he actually was. Leave it to Viktor to seek a way to unleash the monster that Phichit attempted to bring out on Friday nights in the club. The world was not ready for this side of Yuuri, and Phichit was just over the moon.

 

Quickly setting an alert on his phone for the time of the live stream, Phichit dove back into the choreography for his program. He would need to own this program if he wanted to stand a chance against Yuuri. Especially if he was skating a routine Viktor created especially for him, a routine designed specifically to bring out his inner Eros. It was going to divine, the goddess Aphrodite herself will have no idea what hit her, and she gave birth to Eros.

 

Phichit was getting restless, knowing that Yuuri would be pouring everything into his short program, Phichit knew he had to do something.  A month was a long time to wait for Celestino to come, and Phichit really needed to perfect at least one quad.  Suddenly he had a great idea. He could land all his triples, the quad just needed more height and one more rotation right?  He could do it, right?  Even without a coach present.

 

Finding someone to film him wasn’t too difficult, and he gave it a try, against his better judgement.  Honestly the last time he did something like this he ended up in the hospital and Yuuri freaked out.  Celestino ripped into them for doing something so reckless when he wasn’t present, but he was older now, and he really believed he could do it.  He couldn’t though, and botched the landing, every single time. Thankfully he didn’t get hurt.  

 

Frustrated he watched to footage again and again, unable to figure out what it was he was doing wrong. It had been an hour since he started analyzing his jumps, and for the life of him he could not see it, what he was missing.  He had half a mind to send the video to Celestino, but knew he would get a lecture about trying something like this without any guidance, so he didn’t.  Just when he was about to give up for the day, a notification flashed across his screen and and he found the answer to his problem.

  


 

Phichit grinned at his phone, taking Viktor's advice into consideration. He would have to try it again tomorrow, but if he could keep asking Viktor questions about his technique, then he might just be able to land this thing by the time Celestino made it to Thailand. That thought brought a smile to his face as he collapsed into his bed, exhausted and sore. Turning to face the Yuuri dakimakura who had made its home on a chair across his room he grinned at it and said, “watch out Yuuri, this season, we're going to make history.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Tumblr post of pics](http://ishxallxgood.tumblr.com/post/156565272877/chapter-15-of-reyuri-katsuki-instagram-pictures)


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are now knee deep in canonverse, so with that said, updates might come a little slower than before.
> 
> I want to keep this as true to canon as possible, so it makes navigating these waters a little more tricky. For the post part, I fully believe that this headcanon of mine is plausible, there are so many signs that point to the fact that Phichit knew all the things, and considering how surprised Yuuri was about all the things, he most definitely did not get his information from Yuuri.
> 
> Anyway, thank you so much for loving the crap out of this fic and I'll try to keep things moving as quickly as I can.

The next day, Phichit took Viktor's corrections into consideration and tried the quad toe again. He was still shaky on the landing, but was doing much better than the day before, at least he wasn't ending up sprawled on the ice anymore. Still, it was frustrating, so he found someone else to record him, and by the end of his practice session he had enough footage to go over.

 

He didn't want to bother Viktor again, he already had enough on his plate, coaching both Yuris’. Besides, he knew how taxing dealing with Yuuri could be, especially trying to coax the Eros of the pork cutlet bowl out of him, whatever that means.  Thinking about that honestly made Phichit start to laugh again, so he opted to just compare it to footage of Viktor skating.

 

After a while he believed he was able to pick out what he was doing wrong, and tried it again. It still wasn't perfect, but he was getting there. Celestino would definitely have his head if he knew that this was how Phichit was trying to learn a jump. Still, it evidently works, because Phichit was quite convinced this was how Yuuri had figured out how to do all his quads. Yuuri had barely been able to land the quad Salchow in practice, and he knew that there was no way in hell Celestino was the one who taught him the quad Lutz. No way in hell. Yuuri must have picked up almost everything he knew by mimicking Viktor, and obsessively watching him skate for hours on end. Phichit couldn't do that though, there were just so many hours the day, and he was not willing to devote more than half of them to watching Viktor skate.

 

The day of the 'Hot Springs on Ice’ event came, and Phichit was excited to see what Yuuri would be bringing to the ice. He watched in awe as the fifteen year old Yuri Plisetsky skated a beautiful, and technically difficult program. It made Phichit question everything, and yet it exhilarated him at the same time. This season was definitely going to be intense, especially if this was what he was up against. It made Phichit all the more determined to figure out the quad toe, and if he was lucky, he could convince Celestino to teach him the quad Salchow.

 

All thoughts of technical components and mastering quads dissipated the moment Yuuri skated out onto the ice. Phichit could tell even before the music started that Viktor had been right, there was no way Yuuri was going to lose. In fact, he was quite convinced that the moment the first note went off and Yuuri began to move, Viktor would convulse and melt into a puddle on the floor.  The way Yuuri moved while wearing that costume he had admired for so long, spoke volumes and Phichit was mesmerized.

 

He had never seen Yuuri skate like that, there was so much passion, so much love, and Phichit could tell by that look in Yuuri's eye once the program began, that it was not a mere pork cutlet bowl Yuuri was envisioning while he skated.  He knew that look, and he knew who it was directed toward.  He had spent three years watching Yuuri stare at Viktor’s face with that look in his eye.

 

Before the program was even halfway over, Phichit knew that Yuuri had won, and not because Viktor was going to rig the judging, but because Yuuri had managed to express his desire for Viktor through his skating. It was undeniable, he could see the lust in every single twist of his foot, wave of his hand, and that spread eagle, dear lord he wouldn't be surprised if Viktor came right there and then. Yuuri was pouring his heart and soul into his performance, and Phichit could tell everyone in the room was captivated, especially Viktor.

 

Honestly, Phichit wasn't surprised when he flubbed the quad Salchow. It was just like Yuuri to dominate the steps and spins and mess up the jumps, but even with that, his performance was undeniable. He can learn the jumps later, he had time to perfect the fundamentals before the real competitions started, and quite honestly, he had Viktor. If anyone can help Yuuri perfect his skating it would be Viktor.

 

By the time he finished, if Viktor wasn't convinced that Yuuri was in love with him with that performance, Phichit wasn't sure if there was anything he could do for the man.  Phichit could feel it all the way in Bangkok, that primal desire Yuuri had for Viktor. Then again, Phichit understood how deep Yuuri's love for Viktor ran. He knew it was so much more than just a mere obsession with a living legend, more pure than an infatuation with a man too beautiful to be considered real. No, Yuuri yearned for Viktor's soul, he sought to understand the man, he read into every movement, between every line in an interview, he could see the sadness behind that million dollar smile. Phichit had never realized that one could actually love someone they had never met, and he hoped that one day he would find someone to love the way Yuuri loved Viktor.

 

Things were surprisingly quiet after the commencement of the showdown, and Phichit couldn't help but wonder if those two dorks actually made it work. His thoughts were interrupted by the buzzing of his phone, and when he saw who had messaged him, his dreams were shattered.

  


 

Phichit stared at the conversation on his phone, evidently, he was wrong. Viktor really couldn't tell that that program was skated for him. The man still believed that Yuuri was  _ that _ passionate for katsudon. Then again, if Yuuri had been denied katsudon for that many weeks and this was his first time having a bowl, he wouldn't be surprised if Yuuri had looked at that bowl like it was a naked Viktor slathered in honey standing before him.  

 

A mild panic swept through Phichit and he prayed to whichever god would listen, that Viktor wouldn't actually be stupid enough to do what he had just suggested in jest. Knowing Viktor there was actually a probability he would actually do something so ridiculous, that man clearly has one or two screws loose in his head. Phichit briefly debated whether or not to stop messing with him, but he was simply having too much fun, besides, Yuuri needed all the help he could get.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [](http://ishxallxgood.tumblr.com/post/156612712277/chapter-16-of-reyuri-katsuki-instagram-pictures)  
>   
> 
> I have a bunch (not really like 5) other YoI fics if you need something to fill your time while waiting for this to update, I mean it's no instagram conversation between Viktor and Phichit, but I like to believe they're still good. xD
> 
> Especially the song fics that get no love :'(
> 
>  
> 
> Edit: because you guys are so good to me, and enough people expressed interest in Viktor covered in rice... [you're welcome](http://ishxallxgood.tumblr.com/post/156659930072/okay-so-in-the-latest-chapter-of-re-yuri-katsuki)


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It had been brought to my attention, that in episode 7, when Phichit is skating his free skate, in the second half when he does his quad toe, it flashes to a flashback where Phichit was learning how to do the quad toe, by get this **watching a video of Viktor doing a quad toe** I missed it the first fifty times I watched the series, but went back and found it (it's at timestamp 10:00 if you want to see it) so yea... evidently that was canon without me realizing it. 
> 
> I mean I suppose you could just have assumed that that's where I got the idea from, but yea no, it was an awesome coincidence, proof this shit is canon. xD
> 
> I love how I just keep finding things to support this headcanon of mine.
> 
>  
> 
> On an unrelated note, I did end up drawing that picture... and by that picture I mean the wonderful _suggestion_ Phichit gave Vitkor at the end. It's [here](http://ishxallxgood.tumblr.com/post/156659930072/viktor-yuuri-dinners-ready-its-your)

Phichit was thankful to learn that Viktor never really did end up taking his sarcastic comment as real advice, and that as the next few weeks passed, it would seem that Yuuri was finally beginning to open up to him a little bit more.  Viktor's messages were far less desperate and he even went into detail, that Phichit probably did not need, about how they had been bonding in the onsen.  Honestly, of all the places to  _bond_ over, naked while soaking, or evidently  _stretching_ in a hot spring was really not the place to do it, but then again, this was Viktor, and if Viktor was anything, he was extra.

 

In the end it made Phichit happy to know that in a little over a month, Yuuri had gone from literally running away from Viktor every time he got too close to being comfortable enough to soak and apparently allow Viktor to help him stretch, in the onsen, while as Yuuri put it so elegantly, very very naked.  Though to be fair, he wasn’t sure if Yuuri was actually as comfortable with the whole situation as Viktor was making it out to seem, but the fact that Viktor wasn’t messaging him in agony was promising.

 

Before he knew it, late May had rolled around and Celestino had finally made it to Thailand.  Phichit was beyond stoked to show his coach his ideas for his program material. He had been playing _The_ _Skater and the King_ soundtrack on repeat for the past month and he was dying to get Celestino’s opinion on his interpretation of the music.  

 

With Celestino there, break time was officially over, even though he was never really on break, as he had been spending the past month or so attempting to perfect the quad toe.  Viktor was a great help, and he would be eternally grateful to him for that, grateful enough to even cut him some slack with Yuuri, but just a little, because watching him freak out was just way too amusing.  Forcing Celestino to snap a few pictures of him skating, Phichit posted them with the caption ‘ _ Getting ready for the competitive season!! _ ’

 

He was surprised to receive a call from Yuuri later that evening, as Yuuri was always pretty bad at keeping in touch, unless they were living in the same city.  Not that Phichit was bitter about it or anything, that was just how Yuuri was.  He was never one for phone calls and would rather just meet in person to talk, so if you didn't live in the same vicinity as him, forget talking to Yuuri, unless you called first or he desperately needed to vent about something.  So the fact that he was calling must have meant something was amiss, and Phichit wasn't sure what, as it had been quiet on the Viktor end.

 

Phichit had been so absorbed in messing with Viktor's head and egging them both on, that he hadn't even realize he never told Yuuri that he had gone back to Thailand. He felt a little bad, but then again, the last two times he spoke to Yuuri, they had been so focused on Viktor appearing in Hasetsu that his current location never really came up. In the end, he was happy that Yuuri called, and relieved that the call had nothing to do with Viktor, but rather with his free skate music and that conservatory student who had made a demo for Yuuri a few years ago.

 

Phichit was excited that Viktor was pushing Yuuri out of his comfort zone, and forcing Yuuri to pick his own music was just the first step. It wasn't difficult for Phichit to track that girl down, considering the fact that she followed him on most of his SNS accounts. He was glad that she really didn't have any hard feelings about the fact that Yuuri didn't end up using that first song or that he sort of just cut all contact with her afterwards. In fact, she had felt sort of guilty about the piece, because she really didn't feel like it encompassed what Yuuri was like as a skater. It was definitely lacking, and she knew it. 

 

Yuuri deserved something much more powerful, passionate, emotional.  The man created music with every fiber of his being, he needed something special, and Phichit was confident that she would be able to come up with something just as brilliant as him. Just in case she needed inspiration though, he made sure that she had access to both the video of Yuuri skating to Viktor’s  _ Stammi Vicino _ and his performance of  _ On Love; Eros _ from the ‘Hot Springs on Ice.’

 

It felt like old times again, Phichit helping Yuuri navigate the waters of social interactions, while Yuuri fretted in the background hoping everything was going to work out fine.  The next day, Phichit had been ready to call it a night when his phone went off. He didn't need to look at it to know who had messaged him, only one person would message him near midnight and believe it was socially acceptable.

 

  
  


Phichit groaned and fell back against his bed, upset that just when it seemed they were doing so well, Viktor had to go and mess everything up.  Phichit didn't even know where to start, but he was sure that Viktor unknowingly said something that triggered something within Yuuri.  It was strange for Yuuri to suddenly shut down when they had been making so much progress, but at the same time it was within his nature.  Whatever Viktor did or said must have unsettled the demons inside Yuuri's mind, and the only way to defeat them is if those two dork actually had a real conversation.

 

Phichit had half a mind to call up Yuuri and find out what was going on, but he wasn't supposed to know anything, and asking Yuuri about it would most definitely give his little game away.  He hated being in the dark. How was he supposed to pull the strings in the dark? Honestly though, he was just concerned for Yuuri's well being. This was Viktor fucking Nikiforov, Yuuri's mind must have been hyper aware of every little thing Viktor said or did, so whatever Viktor did to trigger this mental breakdown must have been serious.  Phichit wished there was something he could do for Yuuri, knowing his friend was in pain and not being able to help upset him, but he did all he could do for now.  If Viktor would earnestly take his advice and just talk to Yuuri like a normal human being and not a lovesick puppy, things would be okay.  He was confident that Yuuri would open up to Viktor as long as he was sincere and not smothering the crap out of him, and Phichit prayed that Viktor would be contain himself long enough for Yuuri to respond properly.

  


 

Phichit grinned at his phone. Viktor had finally pulled his head out of his ass, or rather Yuuri's ass, and actually had a real conversation with the man. Phichit was ecstatic, maybe now Yuuri could begin to understand that his love for Viktor wasn't one-sided, that Viktor needed him just as much as he wanted Viktor.  Phichit was excited to see what the future would bring. This was just the beginning, and if these two dorks could figure out how to properly communicate with each other, Phichit was sure he'd be planning a wedding by the time this year's skating season was over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Tumblr Post for Pics]()


	18. Chapter 18

Phichit nervously refreshed his news feed and checked his email for the umpteenth time that hour, anxiously awaiting the announcement of the Grand Prix assignments. Not that it really mattered where he was assigned, he was confident he would be seeing Yuuri at the finals, but a chance to skate with him before that would be nice.

 

Hitting the refresh button again, the assignments flashed onto his screen and he leapt up in excitement, devouring the words on the page before letting out a squeal of joy. His fingers were flying across his screen as he messaged Leo and Guang-Hong, the three of them were assigned to the same qualifiers, and Yuuri would be joining them in China. It was more than he could ever have asked for. Skating with his three best friends of all time, and Yuuri, oh Yuuri and Viktor, he could finally meddle in person.

 

He thought of all the things they could do in China together, all the meals to be had, the sights to be seen, but most importantly the clubs to drag Yuuri to and have a night they would not forget, except for Yuuri, because drunk Yuuri doesn’t remember shit. Although that would have to wait until the end of their time there, Phichit wouldn’t do anything to compromise their performances, perhaps he could convince Viktor to stay an extra day, shouldn’t be too difficult.

 

 

With Viktor on board for a night out in Beijing, Phichit went to work figuring out the best places to go, mapping out the hotel and the arena, all the best places to eat around there.  How far all the major attractions were and how to get there, which one was the most promising nightclub and what the age requirements were since Guang-Hong would be with them and he wouldn’t want to leave him out.  Actually, that reminded him, Guang-Hong was going to be with them, abandoning his research he opted to talk to Guang-Hong directly as having a local would help immensely.

 

Having figured out his plans for Yuuri in China, Phichit refocused himself on his program, a new spark ignited within him.  He was going to put Thailand on the map for the skating world, and he was going to do it at the Grand Prix finals, which would mean he would have to qualify first.  Celestino was confident in his program, which boosted Phichit’s confidence and drove him to work even harder.  Yuuri was fulfilling his dreams by having Viktor as his coach, and Phichit was working to fulfill his own dreams, by not only skating to ‘ _ The Skater and the King _ ’ but also by showing Thailand the wonder and beauty of figure skating.

 

Phichit had learned from Viktor that Yuuri would have to skate in a regional Japanese National Competition in order to qualify for the Grand Prix, and Phichit was more than happy to find the live stream and watch.  Phichit watched as the skaters took to the ice to warm up, even from his laptop he could tell that Yuuri was nervous, and he couldn’t help the grin which spread across his face when Viktor embraced Yuuri from behind.  Yuuri’s face was priceless, but he allowed the hug to happen, and Phichit could tell that whatever Viktor said to him, seemed to have worked.  Yuuri’s skating was still not flawless, but there was a conviction there that came from the knowledge that he was skating for Viktor, and Phichit knew that this would be one of his best performances, even with the flubbed salchow.

 

The free skate was amusing to say the least, Phichit loved the newly worked music, and he found that he could really hear Yuuri’s story in both the piano and Yuuri's movements.  It was truly wonderful, although Yuuri really needed to work on those jumps, this program was a love song to Viktor, even more so than ‘ _ On Love: Eros _ .’  Phichit wondered if Viktor could see it too, the breadth of his love. It was different than that primal desire in  _ Eros _ , this was purer, deeper, innocent.  It spoke of a love that emanated from his soul, a love that encompassed every aspect of Viktor, a love so indescribable it could not be expressed in words, but only conveyed on the ice.

 

Viktor’s love for Yuuri was worn on his sleeve, Yuuri's was much more subtle, but he way he rushed toward Viktor at the end spoke volumes. Over the years Phichit had come to understand Viktor as a person, at least what Viktor was like through Yuuri's eyes. Years of listening to Yuuri dissect the man’s soul had given him a sort of clarity to the what his state of mind was like, which was why Phichit was working so hard to see them thrive. It was clear to Phichit how deeply the two needed each other, Viktor was oxygen for Yuuri, and Yuuri, Yuuri was the very sun in Viktor's universe; he filled Viktor's soul with life and light, and most importantly, love.

 

Phichit was sure that after all this, Viktor, as slow as he was, would surely be able to see the depth of Yuuri's love, especially after Yuuri explicitly stated it in the press conference. Phichit was proud of him, proud that Yuuri was finally able to express what he was feeling inside, and that he unwittingly just declared his love for Viktor on national television. Sure, he claimed it was not romantic love, that it was a more abstract version of love, but he did also declare that it was this love that is driving him to keep Viktor by his side.  

 

When his phone went off at the end of the day, he was surprised to see that it was Yuuri calling him and not a message from Viktor.

 

“Hello Yuuri!” He answered cheerfully.

 

“ _ Phichit, hi. It's been a while, I'm sorry." _  Phichit smiled in response to Yuuri's apology, showing him there were no hard feelings.  " I _ just wanted to tell you I qualified to compete in the Grand Prix.” _

 

“Oh yes, I saw.” Phichit replied nodding furiously.

 

“ _ What… what do you mean you saw?” _ Yuuri asked in surprise.  " _How did you know I was even competing?_ "

 

“Oh, Yuuri, Yuuri, Yuuri.  Do you not know I am the King of SNS?  The internet told me Yuuri, the internet." Phichit replied with a smirk, Yuuri's features relaxing, and he knew he had done well with the lie.  "Besides, you do know I have a RSS feed dedicated to all things Yuri Katsuki right?  I saved the date when I found out about the Chugoku, Shikoku and Kyushu  Championship. I watched your performance on live stream... it was breathtaking Yuuri! Turns out Viktor's a great coach, huh?”

 

“ _ Oh… yea…”  _ Yuuri said rubbing the back of his neck.  " _Viktor's an interesting coach alright..."_

 

"But he does such a good job motivating you!  That hug Yuuri!~  Your face!  I thought you were going to implode!"

 

_ “You know, it was so weird and awkward at first… like I couldn't even be alone in the same room with him for an extended period of time without feeling like I was going to suffocate and die… but now… now...” _

 

“Now you're able to declare you love for him on national television!”

 

“ _ I… I what!? _ ”

 

Phichit laughed, turning the phone toward the computer, he hit the play button and video Yuuri continued talking. ‘ _ For the first time there’s somebody I want to hold on to, that person is Viktor, I don’t really have a name for that emotion, but I’ve decided to call it love. It’s changed me, I’m stronger now, and I’ll prove it at the Grand Prix final! With a gold medal!’ _

 

Yuuri gasped his hands flying up and covering his face.  “ _ Oh my god, that sounded so different in my head!” _

 

“It’s okay, now the world knows of your love!  You should probably talk to Viktor about all this though… I’m rooting for you!”

 

“ _ Thanks Phichit. _ ”

  
Collapsing onto the bed Phichit hugged one of the many hamsters inhabiting his space.  Pillow Yuuri stared at him from across the room and he couldn't help the dopey smile which crossed his face.  Love, such a fitting theme for Yuuri this year, and Phichit wholeheartedly approved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Tumblr pics](http://ishxallxgood.tumblr.com/post/156749814232/chapter-18-of-re-yuri-katsuki-instagram)


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skate America!

Phichit glided across the rink, picking up speed before launching himself into the air, completing the four rotations before landing gracefully onto the ice, his free leg held high and straight behind him.  It was perfect.  In fact, he was sure it was the most perfect quad toe he had done to date.  "Did you see how seriously awesome that jump was!~  You were recording it right!?" He exclaimed, turning toward Celestino.

 

Celestino glanced down at the video camera sitting on the boards, and looked back up at Phichit.  "Uhhh... no."

 

"What!? You were supposed to get a video coach!~ I wanted to post it on my page!"  He whined, pouting as he skated over to where Celestino was standing and grabbed his phone, deciding it was time for a break. Gulping down some water he shot his Coach another disappointed look before checking his messages, a grin crossing his face as he opened the direct message from Viktor.

  


 

Clearing the rest of his notifications, Phichit put his phone back down and made sure Celestino had the video camera on before skating back to the center of the rink. He did his jumps a few more times, satisfied with how everything was falling into place, just like his landings.

 

The next week he found himself in Chicago, one of his favorite cities, and it was the official start of the skating season.  Phichit was ecstatic, and once they checked into the hotel, he made a beeline for the lobby, texting Leo and Guang-Hong furiously, forgetting all about his jet lag.  The moment his two friends arrived, he bid Celestino farewell and dragged them out to grab dinner at his favorite dining spot, Eataly, but not before stopping by Garrett's popcorn and purchasing a giant tin of cheese and caramel mix.  It was a good thing Yuuri wasn't with them in Chicago because Garrett's was his kryptonite.

 

“So… what's the update on Viktor and Yuuri?” Leo asked between mouthfuls of pasta.

 

Phichit merely grinned as he twisted the squid ink chitarra around his fork. “They're making progress. You saw the links to Yuuri's performances I sent you right!? And that flying hug at the end that was all over the internet?”

 

“Oh yes,” Guang-Hong nodded, “the best was when Viktor side stepped him though. Poor Yuuri.”

 

“Man, I'm still shook from the fact that _Viktor Nikiforov_ is actually Yuuri's coach this season.” Leo said, letting out a laugh. “Who would have thought!”

 

“Yes who indeed.” Phichit mused, tapping his chin.

 

“What's he like?” Leo asked, stealing a calamari off Phichit's plate.

 

“What's who like? Viktor?”

 

Leo nodded, “oh, that's really good, I should get that next time.”

 

“Back off my food Leo, “ Phichit warned, as Leo attempted to swipe another bite. “Viktor's… how do I put this nicely… Viktor's not what you'd expect.”

 

“Meaning…?”

 

“He's a little over the top.” Phichit answered swiping the bread around his plate. “Okay, like _really_ over the top. That man's so fucking extra.”

 

“Hmm,” Guang-Hong hummed, “Example? He always seems so serious and slightly stand-offish in interviews.”

 

“Well,” Phichit said, tapping his chin, trying to decide how much information to divulge. “Let's just say, when he told Yuuri he was going to be his coach… he was sitting in the onsen, or rather came to a stand.”

 

“Onsen?” Leo asked.

 

“Hot springs,” Guang-Hong clarified for him. “They're like outdoor public baths.”

 

“Oh… OH.” Leo exclaimed, as a blush crept across his face. “And Yuuri didn't die right there and then?”

 

Phichit doubled over in laughter, “well Yuuri did say, and I quote 'I died Phichit, I died and ascended to heaven.’”

 

“Poor Yuuri.” Guang-Hong said solemnly.

 

Phichit giggled to himself, “That’s not even the half of it…”

 

Spending time with Leo and Guang-Hong was one life's purest joys for Phichit, the only thing that could possibly make it better was if Yuuri had been with them, but they had time enough for that during the China Cup.  Right now, what mattered was Skate America and how well he could do to ensure a spot at the finals.  

 

On the day of the short program, Phichit wasn't sure what was happening as he lifted off during his quad toe, something felt incredibly wrong. His fears were confirmed when he had to drop his hand down onto the ice to stabilize his landing, but he didn't have much time to think about it as he still had to complete his program. It was frustrating and his step sequence suffered slightly for it, his short program scores were not nearly as good as they should have been. Phichit put on a happy face as he internally groaned, but unfortunately there wasn't much he could do about it, but try to make up the gap with his free skate.

 

He did much better with his free skate, landing all his jumps perfectly, but in the end, even with a solid performance, he knew it wasn't going to be enough.  Watching Leo complete his free program Phichit knew that he wasn't going to medal.  Leo's program was phenomenal, his steps, his spins, the choreography, everything, and even without any quads, the score he received pushed him all the way to the top.

 

Skate America had been a wake up call for Phichit. He had been so confident in his programs, but in the end, he realized how much work he still needed to do. Leo beat him to the gold, with no quads in his program, and even Guang-Hong was able to take the bronze, and this was his senior debut. The silver medalist, Otabek Altin, had an impressive amount of quads in his program, even though his presentation could use a little work, it was enough for him to come in second. Phichit wasn't sure what he did wrong, sure he was shaky on the landing for that quad toe in the short, which honestly irked him because he had been nailing it every time during practice, but there must have been something else missing. His presentation scores were good, but he supposed they could be better, Celestino assured him that he did great, but Phichit wasn't convinced. If he wanted to take the gold in China and advance to the final, he would have to rethink some of the components, and ensure his jumps were perfect.

 

Sitting on the plane back to Thailand he watched and rewatched his performance with Celestino a couple of times, going over what he could do to improve. Celestino pointed out some of the areas in his steps and spins he could refine, they talked about upping the difficulty of parts of his choreography, all things that Phichit knew he was strong in.  In the end, Phichit still wasn’t convinced though, so he decided to seek a second opinion, not that he was undermining his coach or anything.

  


 

Phichit looked up from his phone and poked Celestino in the arm. “Hey Coach, what do you think of putting my quad in the second half during the free skate?”

 

“Hm, I think that could work... Consulting Nikiforov again?”

 

Phichit gave him a sheepish smile, “I just figured a second opinion couldn't hurt.”

 

“No, no, it's a good idea.” Celestino assured him. “We have a month before Beijing to practice. I have every confidence you can do it.”

 

“Thanks Coach.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Chicago, one of my top 5 favorite cities in the states. If you're ever there, go to Eataly on E. Ohio St, eat at La Pizza & La Pasta and try the Pasta Al Nero (it's what Phichit was eating) IT'S FREAKING AMAZING. 
> 
> Anyway, CHINA HERE WE COME! WHOOOOOO!~
> 
>  
> 
> [Tumblr Pics]()


	20. Chapter 20

The next month passed quicker than Phichit would have liked, but he had worked harder than he had ever worked in his life.  Every day was spent working on his form, his steps, his jumps, he even began taking a Khon dance class to incorporate more traditional Thai movements into his performance.  It was exhilarating, working so intimately with a program, and by the time the China Cup finally rolled around, Phichit and Celestino were both more than confident that he would take the gold.

 

The night before they were to leave, Phichit couldn’t sleep due to his excitement.  His mind was racing as he aimlessly flicked through Instagram, trying to lull himself to sleep. When a notification from Viktor flashed across the screen he wasn’t even surprised or annoyed. Honestly, getting middle of the night messages from Viktor was something of the norm to him now, and he forgave the man since he knew that Viktor's normal operating hours were consumed by Yuuri.

  


 

Tossing his phone onto the bed, Phichit almost pulled out his hair.  These two idiots were going to be the death of him. Why couldn't they just talk about their feelings like normal fucking human beings. No, let's just bottle everything inside or do the exact opposite and gush over every little thing, smothering the person you're trying to connect with.

 

“Ah pillow Yuuri!  What am I going to do!?” Phichit lamented, kicking the chair the dakimakura was sitting on.  “I’m freaking out pillow Yuuri, freaking out!!  I NEVER FREAK OUT! What the hell is wrong with those two!? Seriously! You should tell real you that he has Viktor fucking Nikiforov pining over him and he should pull his head out of his ass and fuck him already. That man's been thirsting for nine months! Nine fucking months!”

 

Phichit got up and dragged the chair back over toward the bed. “Don't look at me like that pillow Yuuri, I'm brutally aware that the first four were totally my fault, but the rest… that was real you's fault… boy can declare his love on national television, but can't even look the actual man in the eye and say, 'I want you, I need you, oh baby, oh baby...’”

 

Phichit let out a groan and punched the dakimakura before falling back into his bed. “I'm talking to a pillow… I've really lost it.” Popping back up he grabbed the dakimakura and dragged it into bed with him.  “Okay pillow Yuuri, what’s the plan? How do we get real Yuuri to come out of his shell… well… besides alcohol… or perhaps exactly alcohol… since drunk Yuuri’s already in the works… but we can't get Yuuri drunk before a competition… work with me here pillow Yuuri!”

 

The next thing he knew his phone was buzzing out of control next to him, the obnoxious alarm he didn’t remember setting going off.  Bolting upright, Phichit tossed pillow Yuuri back onto its rightful place on his chair and fell out of bed, changing his clothes in record speed before grabbing his phone, his charger, and the bags he had packed the night before.  Celestino greeted him outside and before he knew it, they were on a plane to Beijing.

 

Phichit did his best to put on a brilliant smile and answer all the questions thrown at him. All he wanted to do was meet up with Yuuri and Viktor and smash their faces together, or something along those lines. Screw the minimal meddling stance he had decided to take a few months ago. These two were moving at the speed of molasses and Phichit needed a grade A5 love story in his life right now.

 

When he was finally done, he checked his phone and noted the address Viktor had sent him. Evidently they were out for hotpot, not Phichit's first choice as he knew Guang-Hong wasn't too keen on hotpot but that's where they were, so that's where he would be too.  Giving Celestino a quick wave he took off toward the restaurant, briefly wondering if he should have invited Celestino, when his phone went off again.

  


 

Oh. 

 

Well, he probably should have invited Celestino anyway. It didn't matter, he could just invite him when he got there. Entering the restaurant Phichit wasn't sure where to start looking for them, the place was huge, scanning the room he didn't see the two of them and figured they were probably off in the section with the semi private rooms. This was going to be interesting.  Pulling out his phone, he quickly typed in ' _ where can I find a really good looking Russian man, silver hair, tall, and a Japanese guy with blue glasses _ ’ and showed it to a waiter, along with a generous tip.

 

Thanking the helpful waiter, Phichit made his way toward their table, putting on his most surprised face as he approached and exclaimed, “Hey Yuuri!~”

 

Yuuri's eyes opened in shock as he processed the fact that Phichit was there. “Phichit!”

 

“I was wondering when I would see you!” Phichit replied with a smile, briefly acknowledging Viktor's presence before continuing, “So cool I ran into you! Oh, I know! I'll invite Ciao-Ciao.”

 

Before Yuuri could protest, Phichit had already made the call, much to Yuuri's dismay.  Accepting the fact that there was nothing he could do about it, Yuuri got up and took the seat next to Viktor, making room for Phichit and Celestino.

 

“Sooooooooo…” Phichit said, gladly accepting Viktor's offer for the shrimp before continuing, “How are you? Tell me everything.”

 

“I'm good! Being home in Hasetsu has been great, and refreshing.” Yuuri answered with a smile, relaxing a little.

 

“I bet!” Phichit chirped, “I bet it's even more awesome considering you get Viktor all to yourself too! You guys look so adorable together too! Congratulations by the way!”

 

Yuuri turned three different shades of red and waved his hands in protest, “Oh no, no, no, no, Phichit it's not like that! You totally have the wrong idea!”

 

“Oh?” Both Phichit and Viktor questioned in unison, startling Yuuri as he turned an even deeper shade of red.

 

“I'm sorry,” Phichit said, offering Viktor a small apologetic smile before turning his attention back to Yuuri, “I just figured… you know considering all the Instagram pictures Viktor's been posting of the two of you guys that… you know, you guys have more than just a strictly professional relationship.”

 

“Oh… I mean… well... we…” Yuuri paused, as he collected himself, his brows furrowing in thought as he contemplated Phichit's words. A serene smile ended up gracing Yuuri's lips as a spark ignited in his eyes. Phichit knew that expression and couldn't help the smirk which tugged on the corners of his mouth. 

 

Yuuri turned to face Viktor, who was staring at him with anticipation as he waited for him to continue. “I guess I never really noticed that we've gotten so much closer over these past seven months…” Phichit couldn't help the scoff that escaped him, earning him a slight glare from Yuuri before he continued. “I've never really thought about putting a label on my relationship with you… but I suppose it has moved past the strictly professional sense and…”

 

Phichit watched Viktor's face transform with unadulterated joy as Yuuri spoke, and before Yuuri could finish his thought Viktor had thrown his arms around him exclaiming, “Yuuuuuuuri!~”

 

Laughing to himself Phichit tried some of the crab and duck blood as Yuuri attempted to push Viktor off of him. Viktor finally relenting when Yuuri whispered something in his ear, which caused the older man's face to light up like a Christmas tree. The blinding smile on Viktor's face subsided slightly as he settled back down in his own chair and resumed eating, and Phichit could see that his left hand was now settled on Yuuri's lap.

  
Phichit smiled knowingly at the couple across from him, whatever it was Yuuri whispered to him clearly solidified something in Viktor's mind about their relationship. Phichit had an inkling he knew what it was, but he was still dying to know. Yuuri seemed to relax at this new revelation about where he stood in his relationship with Viktor, and Phichit was glad, although at the same time he still wanted to smack Yuuri for never properly talking to Viktor about his feelings or as it seemed, anything besides skating. Luck for them he was here, and Phichit Chulanont was going to set sail to this ship if it was the last thing he did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Tumblr pics](http://ishxallxgood.tumblr.com/post/156924587772/chapter-20-of-re-yuri-katsuki-instagram)


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout out to [cerisebio](http://archiveofourown.org/users/cerisebio/pseuds/cerisebio) (who's [Amnesia](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9386333/chapters/21248924%22) fic is amazeballs) for questioning how drunk Viktor really was, which actually helped shape the chapter better. <3

Viktor greeted Celestino with the same offer of shrimp he had given him, which Phichit wasn't surprised that his coach declined. Yuuri smiled nervously at Celestino and gave him a polite wave as Phichit got up and allowed his Coach to to take the seat across from Viktor before settling back down in front of Yuuri.

 

“Okay, selfie time!” He declared, setting up his phone and forcing everyone to lean in toward the table before snapping a picture. “We're adorable, and I love you guys.” He said as his fingers flew over the screen typing out a caption and hashtags. “Oh that reminds me, I should invite Leo and Guang-Hong…”

 

When Phichit was done, Viktor offered up a toast to the start of a new season, which Celestino gladly accepted even though their season had already started. Phichit saw where this was going and smirked to himself as he watched Viktor fail horribly at trying to get Yuuri to drink. What kind of coach tries to get his student drunk the night before a competition anyway?

 

Viktor's pouts were adorable though, and Phichit briefly wondered how Yuuri was resisting them. This was Viktor fucking Nikiforov, and Phichit was sure that Yuuri had dreamed about something like this happening for years now.  If he were in Yuuri's shoes he would definitely have jumped Viktor's bones by now, but he also knew Yuuri was not that kind of guy.

 

“What did you whisper to him anyway?” Phichit finally asked when Viktor and Celestino got into a heated discussion over Yuuri's quad Salchow, the second bottle of sake eerily empty.

 

“Oh… that…” Yuri replied sheepishly.

 

“He told me if I stopped he would come sleep with me tonight!” Viktor interjected draping an arm around Yuuri, his own conversation forgotten the moment the question came off of Phichit's lips.

 

“Scandalous!~” Phichit gasped catching that spark which flashed across Viktor’s eyes, before throwing his head back in laughter, as Celestino choked on his drink before looking quizzically between the three men.

 

“No, no, it's not what you think!” Yuuri said turning slightly red again.

 

Viktor smirked as he removed his arm from around Yuuri's shoulder, causing Yuuri to startle and turn toward him to see if he was upset. Phichit watched in amusement when Viktor gave him a wink before removing his shirt with a devious grin and leaned back into Yuuri, his arm coming around the blushing man's shoulders again.

 

“V… V… Viktor!” Yuuri stammered which only caused Viktor to pull his other arm around Yuuri, locking him into place. “What are you doing? Put your shirt back on!”

 

“But Yuuri,” Viktor purred in his ear, causing the blush to reach to tip of his ears, “I'm just demonstrating to your friends here how exactly we'll be sleeping together tonight.”

 

A thud drew their attention as Celestino's head impacted with the table, causing Phichit to laugh hysterically. “Celestino’s wasted!” Phichit declared as he whipped out his phone and began taking pictures.

 

“I'm sorry about this… Viktor's had a little too much to drink.” Phichit heard Yuuri say, and he turned just in time to see Viktor's pants and underwear land on Leo and Guang-Hong's heads, respectively.

 

In an instant all three friends had their phones out, camera shutters going off as Viktor launched himself onto a horrified Yuuri.  Phichit caught Viktor’s eye for a second, and realization dawned upon him that this was all an act.  Schooling his face to not give away the game, Phichit positioned himself for a selfie and Viktor gave him a sideways glance, before launching into a rant about hot springs.

 

For his part, Phichit played his role masterfully, gasping in feigned surprise at every scandalous thing Viktor did, while Yuuri turned so red Phichit was sure his head was going to explode.  Playing the part of getting a supposedly drunk Viktor back to the hotel was quite amusing. More than once did Viktor attempt to pin Yuuri up against a wall and rip his own shirt off again. Leo and Guang-Hong were scandalized as they literally pulled Viktor off a hyperventilating Yuuri while Phichit attempted to calm the poor man down. In the end they managed to get a very frazzled Yuuri into his room while Viktor pawed all over him mumbling in Russian as he nipped at his neck.

 

Phichit groaned as his phone buzzed uncontrollably, waking him up. Checking the time he growled as he sat up and unlocked the phone, knowing it probably wouldn't stop until he responded to whatever ridiculousness Viktor was up to at one in the morning on the night before a competition.

  


 

Letting out a yawn Phichit rolled back over and attempted to sleep again, annoyed that Viktor was possibly the most inconsiderate person in existence. Hopefully once he succeeded in pushing those two together, Phichit could reclaim the nights and actually get uninterrupted sleep.

 

“Ciao ciao Celestino!~” Phichit called to his Coach the next morning when he spotted him in the lobby.

 

“Ciao ciao Phichit.” Celestino groaned, “Remind me never to go one for one with a Russian ever again.”

 

Phichit let out a hearty laugh, waving to Leo and Guang-Hong as they went past, the two friends pausing to allow Phichit and Celestino to catch up with them.  “You should be glad you passed out for a moment there… things got a little scandalous before Yuuri was able to get Viktor’s pants back on.”

 

“You know, I don’t even want to know.” Celestino said as the group made their way toward the arena.

 

Once inside Phichit made a beeline for Yuuri and gave him a bone crushing hug. “Yuuri!~ How did you sleep last night?  Everything cool?  You good?  Excited for today?  Selfie!”

 

Yuuri leaned into Phichit and gave him a smile as the camera went off, rubbing the back of his neck nervously as Phichit typed out his captions and posted the picture.  

 

“Last night was good, I suppose. I slept pretty well...Thanks again for helping out last night… I’m so glad I didn’t have to get Viktor back alone…” He replied, as he pulled out his phone to check the picture Phichit just posted, the color draining from his face as he scrolled down.

 

“No problem!” Phichit said excitedly, “you know I got your back.”

 

“PHICHIT! SERIOUSLY!?”

 

Looking over at Yuuri's phone Phichit grinned sheepishly at him, scratching the side of his head. “Heh, sorry… I wasn't going to but then I couldn't help myself.”

 

“No fair you big cheater! We didn't post ours!” Leo and Guang-Hong exclaimed in unison, and all Phichit could do was shrug and offer them an innocent smile.

 

“You owe us!” Leo said punching him lightly on the arm.

 

“Hey now don't blame me!” Phichit cried defensively, “I wasn't going to honestly, but then this happened…” Pulling up his direct messages Phichit directed them to the short conversation he had with Viktor the night before.

 

“Oh my god…” Guang-Hong gasped. “Did you just threaten Viktor Nikiforov with _knife shoes_?”

 

Phichit grinned at them and gestured toward his skates, “and I won't hesitate to use them if he hurts our Yuuri.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Tumblr Pics](http://ishxallxgood.tumblr.com/post/156952380192/chapter-21-of-re-yuri-katsuki-instagram)


	22. Chapter 22

Phichit couldn't help but smile like a schoolgirl in love as he watched Christophe Giacometti come up behind Yuuri and grab his ass. Phichit was actually surprised that although Yuuri reacted to the grope the way he figured he would, he had also calmed down rather quickly when Christophe commented about Viktor’s ‘ _vigorous training_.’ It made him briefly wonder when Yuuri and Christophe had become so close, not that he was jealous or anything, because really, what was there to be jealous about?

 

Unlike Yuuri, Phichit never was a die hard Viktor Nikiforov fan. Sure, the man was beautiful and he admired the man’s skating like almost all skaters did, his form was truly flawless, but Phichit honestly preferred Yuuri's style of skating over Viktor's. Fanboying over Viktor Nikiforov was Yuuri’s thing, something Phichit believed that Yuuri did better than anyone. If Phichit had to pick a skater to fanboy over, besides Yuuri of course, it would most certainly have been Christophe Giacometti. The man was raw energy on the ice, and it made Phichit's toes curl thinking about it. It was a shame he almost always came in second to Viktor on the podium though.

 

Phichit startled and offered Christophe a smile when he suddenly felt the man's eyes on him, his attention drawn by the two female skaters off to their side who just greeted Viktor.  Phichit couldn’t help but tense at the words Christophe spoke to Yuuri as Viktor went off to make small talk.  Sure, it was common knowledge that the whole skating world was hoping for Viktor’s return, but for Phichit, Yuuri’s return was much more desirable than Viktor’s.  Yuuri had every right to keep Viktor to himself, and his disapproval must have been evident because the next thing he knew Christophe was making his way over to him.

 

“Oh, you must be Phichit Chulanont.” Christophe said coming up next to him, Leo and Guang-Hong freaking out over the fact that Christophe knew his name.  “You’re even cuter in person.”

 

“Hn,” Phichit snorted in a noncommittal response.

 

“I was just teasing him, you know.” Christophe offered, as he leaned in close, his smile cutting through Phichit’s defenses.  “Viktor is a different person because of him, it’s interesting.  I’ve always assumed his only love was the ice, like me, but clearly I was wrong.”

 

“Wait what?”

 

Christophe merely smiled at Phichit, a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. “For ten years, Viktor and I have been making love to the ice, competing against each other. The only place our hearts ever shone was on the ice, and nothing else compared to it.  Not the countless lovers we’ve amassed, the meaningless relationships we thought would last… not even the bond we’ve developed over the years, nothing.

 

But last year, something inside him changed, that passion, that unadulterated love for the ice, it wasn't there anymore… it was like he lost a part of himself, that the ice had finally consumed him and froze his heart over... and then he met Yuri Katsuki at the banquet.” Chris paused and Phichit gave him a knowing smirk. Nodding in understanding that Phichit was aware of what transpired that night almost a year ago, Christophe continued.  “I've never seen him so alive off of the ice before. It confused me, it made me feel like there was something I was missing, and it maddened me. Over the next few months I saw that obsession with Yuri grow inside of him, it consumed him… and I hated him for it. Both of them.”

 

Phichit listened intently as Christophe spoke, his words burning their way into his heart.  “The only love I've ever known was on the ice, the ice never failed to disappoint me, and then Viktor who I always believed felt the same way, abandoned the ice, cast it aside like a jilted lover. It felt like a personal attack to me, like he was telling me I was foolish to have a lover who would never love me back, and it made me long for _my own Yuri Katsuki_.” Christophe shook his head and chuckled softly to himself. “I don't know why I just told you all that…”

 

“Ha…” Phichit exhaled nervously, as he pondered that very thought himself. “What can I say, evidently I'm a great confidant.”

 

“So it would seem,” Christophe replied with a smirk, “I feel much lighter now that I’ve spoken to you.  Thank you again for getting Viktor off my back, I didn’t know how many more messages I could receive before wringing his neck.”

 

Phichit laughed in agreement. “The man’s relentless… I haven’t gotten a good night’s sleep since that day I first blocked him.” The announcement for group one’s warm-ups blared over the speakers and Phichit bid Christophe farewell before making his way out toward the rink.

 

Phichit's mind was swimming as his program began, Christophe’s words swam through his mind and it was frustrating, having to dwell on something so personal as he tried to perform.  The music beckoned him though, and for a moment he lost himself in the dance he knew so well, landing his triple axel and his combination, he was confident he had it under control.  Suddenly Christophe’s words flashed across his mind again ‘ _it made me long for my own Yuri Katsuki,_ ’ and he fumbled the quad toe.  The cursed quad to that he nailed consistently during practice but had eluded him twice now in competition. Luckily, even with the flubbed landing, his performance still landed him a new personal best, and he hoped it would be enough, Celestino assuring him that the free skate was where it truly counted.

 

Making his way to the holding area, Phichit wondered if Yuuri would be okay. Having Christophe question the validity of Yuuri's claim to Viktor was huge, and he hoped that Yuuri wouldn't let it get to his head.  He watched the screens intently as Yuuri took the ice, exchanging words with Viktor before he skated out to center rink.  The look in Viktor’s eyes made Phichit’s heart swell and he wondered briefly if Yuuri caught it.

 

When the music began, Phichit could tell that there was something different about the way Yuuri was skating today. This particular performance was more powerful than the previous two, and those had pushed Yuuri’s limits and had been phenomenal. The way Yuuri was skating now spoke volumes, and Phichit had no doubt that it was a reflection on what Christophe had said.  Yuuri was proving to the validity to his claim over Viktor Nikiforov.

 

In fact, by the time it was over, Phichit was sure that it had been a declaration to the world that Viktor Nikiforov belonged to him, and him alone, but “what’s different? He's never skated like that before.” Phichit found himself voicing, lost deep in thought.

 

The past two performances were also declarations of his love toward Viktor, that much Phichit knew.  There was always a sort of passion to Yuuri’s skating when Viktor was involved, but why was it so different today? It would seem that something changed inside Yuuri.  It was possible that it had to do with the new revelations the night before, or perhaps it stemmed from what Christophe had said, either way it was strange, Yuuri had never been able to come out of his shell like this before.

 

Phichit had a feeling it had to do with these new feelings of love Yuuri felt toward Viktor, but what didn’t sit right with him was the fact that Yuuri knew he loved Viktor months ago.  Additionally, there was no way Yuuri didn’t know that Viktor loved him in return, the man made it so glaringly obvious, so what was it that made the switch go off in his head?  It must have been something Viktor said, or did… perhaps it was a cumulation of everything that has happened so far, or that he finally acknowledged to himself last night where it was he stood with Viktor.

 

Whatever the reason was, Phichit liked it, although his joy evidently didn’t show, because Celestino had begun to reassure Phichit that it didn’t matter, that the free skate was where it actually counted, that Yuuri wasn’t used to being the one to beat, thinking his contemplative expression was due to being nervous about his own standing.  Phichit let him talk, let him believe whatever it was he wanted to believe, besides, his Coach did have a point.  The free skate was where it actually counted, he could make up Yuuri’s twenty some odd point lead easily, and as for Yuuri, for the sake of his friend, he hoped that Yuuri would be able to control his nerves and not succumb before he had to skate.

 

Watching group two skate, Phichit was impressed that Leo had changed things up in his program too, and it rattled him that Leo had been able to score more than a point higher than his own refined program. He kept reminding himself that the free skate was where it counted, and by the time Christophe finished his program, Phichit felt better with the knowledge that as of now, he stood above last year’s silver medalist.

 

The day had been stressful, and Phichit did not even bother to try to hang out with his friends, figuring that Yuuri would probably be more relaxed spending time with Viktor anyway and that Leo and Guang-Hong probably wanted to catch up on their own.  Letting out a yawn Phichit settled into the bed, his laptop opened in front of him as he relaxed and watched the rebroadcast of the men's short program, cringing when he watch himself flub that quad toe. When it was all over he nearly spat out his water during Yuuri’s interview. Grabbing his phone he wondered if Viktor was asleep yet.

  


 

Groaning Phichit let out a sigh and plugged his phone in. Tomorrow would be the free skate, he needed his rest so he could do his best and take the gold. He hoped that Yuuri would take up Viktor's offer on sleeping with him. Phichit knew how bad Yuuri's pre-competition nerves were, and Viktor most definitely seemed to have a calming effect on him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Tumblr Pics](http://ishxallxgood.tumblr.com/post/156990568017/chapter-22-re-yuri-katsuki-instagram-pictures)
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> Ever wondered if Viktor ever got those dakimakuras? [Shamless Plug](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9614432)


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No Instagram pictures this chapter, but I made it slightly longer to make up for it

Phichit woke up to a pounding on his door. Letting out a yawn he stretched and checked the time before getting up to open the door.  Six and a half hours of sleep were not nearly enough, he would have to take a nap later.

 

Pulling the door open, he stood in shock for a moment as he registered the person standing before him.  “Yuuri!” He finally cried out in surprise, shaking the sleep from his head and stepping aside to let his friend into the room.

 

“Good morning Phichit.”  Yuuri said as he took a seat on the bed.  “I’m sorry to wake you.”

 

“No worries, I had to get up anyway.” Phichit replied, letting out another yawn as he ran his fingers through his hair to get the kinks out, before turning toward Yuuri.  “Bro, you look like death.”

 

“I know.” Yuuri groaned into his hands.  “I couldn’t sleep last night… you know how that goes... and then Viktor came over and climbed into bed with me… and it should have helped… but it just made things worse because I spiraled down this train of thought that I was going to disappoint him today and he was going to leave me… and then I just spent the rest of the night staring at him, soaking him in because he’s just so beautiful and perfect and it made me think that this might be one of the last times I get to do that because he probably secretly wants to quit and...”

 

“Let me stop you right there.” Phichit said, placing his hands on Yuuri’s shoulders.  “You and I both know that that’s not going to happen.”

 

Yuuri took a deep breath.  “You really think so?  Like I’m not just living this crazy dream and I’ll wake up one day and realize that Viktor was just a mirage this whole time…”

 

Phichit let out a small laugh, “Oh no… this is real alright, get used to it buddy.”

 

“But… but… then that means…” Yuuri’s voice trailed, exhaustion written all over his face, “Viktor Nikiforov  _ really _ wants to be my coach?”

 

“And then some.” Phichit added suggestively.

 

“Don’t even go there.” Yuuri breathed, “I highly doubt  _ the _ Viktor Nikiforov would want anything to do with the ball of anxiety that is me.”

 

Phichit let out a deep sigh, fighting with himself to not just shake Yuuri silly.  “Yuuri, do you know what Christophe said to me yesterday?” He finally asked taking a seat next to his trembling friend.

 

“No.”

 

“Well of course you don’t, because he wasn’t talking to you,” Phichit said playfully bumping Yuuri’s shoulder with his, before schooling his face into seriousness again. “He said that Viktor is a different person because of you… that before he met you, the only thing that could capture Viktor’s heart and bring a spark to his eyes was the ice.”

 

Yuuri nodded in agreement.  It was a sentiment that Yuuri had expressed to him more times than he could remember over the course of the years.

 

“Yuuri, I know this is crazy to you, but you’re incredible. I think so, Ciao-Ciao thinks so, Katty, Angela and Shayla, and Effim and Javier back in Detroit, they all think so… You just don’t see yourself the same way we all see you… the way Viktor sees you... Yuuri, if only you could see the way Viktor looks at you…  _ really _ looks at you...”

 

“Do you really mean that, Phichit?” Yuuri asked, looking up from his hands, the doubt and anxiety still written all over his face.

 

Suddenly a lightbulb went off in Phichit’s head. “Here, let me show you.” Leaning back Phichit grabbed the laptop from off the far end table.  Turning it on he pulled up the stream of Yuuri’s performance from the day before.  “Now before you protest," he said when Yuuri made a move to stop him, "listen to me.  You can’t see shit when you’re skating, you know that, I know that, everyone knows that.”

 

Yuuri furrowed his brows, “Okay… your point?”

 

“My point Yuuri, is that when I hit play, I want you to see you what we see, especially what Viktor sees.”

 

“I don’t understand.  I’ve watched myself skate before…”

 

“No,” Phichit interjected, “I don’t want you to watch yourself skate, I mean by all means do it if you want, but I want you to watch Viktor’s reactions to you skating.  Pay special attention to his expression when the camera pans to him.”

 

“Um, okay.” Yuuri gulped as Phichit hit the play button, and Phichit watched Yuuri’s face with glee as he processed what it was he was seeing.  

 

Sure Viktor liked to wear his heart on his sleeve, and was always more than affectionate toward Yuuri, smothering really, and it must have been impossible for even Yuuri to miss the way his eyes shone whenever he was looking at him, but there was something different about Viktor whenever he watched Yuuri skate.  It was that particular look that spoke louder than all the loud, very loud, and obnoxious displays of affection that Viktor proclaimed on a daily basis.  The admiration in his eyes when Yuuri skated reached all the way down into his soul and was reflected for the world to see.  Phichit didn’t need the eight million and one messages Viktor sent him every five minutes to know that Viktor was smitten by Yuuri, all it took was one glance at Viktor’s face when Yuuri was on the ice to know that that man was a goner.

 

“P… Phichit…” Yuuri gasped as he handed the laptop back, the tears swimming in his eyes.  “That… Viktor... me... I never realized…”

 

“That Viktor’s hopelessly in love with you?  Yea I know.  I swear Yuuri, you guys need to sit down, look into each other’s eyes, you should probably take a shot or two of vodka, and just talk.” Phichit said getting up and crossed the room to rummage through his things before disappearing into the bathroom.

 

When Phichit emerged from the bathroom, Yuuri still had the laptop back on his lap, the violins of  _ On Love; Eros  _ playing softly behind the commentator’s voices.  Phichit grinned to himself as he took a seat next to Yuuri again.  “Want to see something hilarious?” Phichit asked grabbing the laptop, shaking Yuuri from his stupor.

 

“Sure?” Yuuri replied apprehensively, knowing whatever it was Phichit was going to show him would most likely not going to be hilarious, because nothing Phichit showed him after uttering those words were ever hilarious, just mind-numbingly embarrassing.

 

Smirking at Yuuri, Phichit could almost hear his thoughts as he clicked the link for the interviews, and Yuuri paled significantly.

 

“Oh no… what did I say this time?”  Yuuri asked as Guang-Hong's voice rang out over the speakers.

 

Phichit paused the video for a moment, right after Yakov declared that he wasn’t going to be losing to a third rate coach.  “Yuuri, do you not know what you say in interviews?” Phichit asked incredulously.  “Like really, how is this even possible?”

 

“Well…” Yuuri started, dropping his eyes down as he fidgeted with his hands.  “I get really nervous and then kind of just blank out and just blurt out whatever's on my mind.  The adrenaline kind of just pushes me through and by the time I stop talking I have no idea what it was I just said.”

 

“Hmm, okay.” Phichit mused tapping the spacebar so the video would start again. “You should probably work on that problem.”

 

“Hai.” Yuuri replied his attention being drawn to the Yuuri on the screen.  His eyes opened wide as he heard himself declare that together with Viktor they would win, with the power of love.  “No.” He gasped.

 

“Yes.” Phichit mimicked with a gasp, rewinding the video just enough to hear Yuuri’s declaration again.  “You should probably find a way to tell that man you love him, you know, without a mic and a camera in your face.”

 

“Oh my god Phichit!  I can’t believe I said that! And Viktor… he was standing right there!”

 

“Dark Yuuri strikes again!”  Phichit declared with a laugh, closing the laptop and tossing it onto the bed.  

 

“Dark Yuuri.” Yuuri scoffed, “that guy has no chill.”

 

“He should come out to play more often…” Phichit said with a wicked grin, “can you imagine the things dark Yuuri would do to Viktor?”

 

“Oh dear Lord, I don't even want to think about that…” Yuuri groaned before a devious grin crossed over his lips as the thought washed over him. “Viktor would get rekt.”

 

Phichit could not control the laugh that escaped him, clutching his side as he attempted to breath. “Oh my god… can you imagine!?" He gasped, a wicked smile breaking out across his face as he looked up at Yuuri. "Can I film it!?”

 

“Phichit!” Yuuri screeched, turning a previously undiscovered shade of red.

 

“Just kidding…" Phichit said waving him off, "come on let’s get breakfast, we can head over afterwards. Text Viktor that you’ll meet him at the arena, I want some time alone with you.”

 

“Okay…” Yuuri conceded, pulling out his phone as he got up.  “No more dark Yuuri talk though.”

  
“Promise.”  _ For now.  _ He added in his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was necessary because I mean how in the world was Viktor *just* noticing that Yuuri looked like hell during the morning practice at the arena. 
> 
> Conclusion, they didn't see each other until that meeting at the arena.


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This got delayed because I got distracted making [THIS GUY!](http://ishxallxgood.tumblr.com/post/157048213242/im-like-90-happy-with-how-he-came-out-i-gotta)
> 
> Next chapter might get delayed because he needs his mate. <3

Phichit could not contain his laughter as Viktor assessed Yuuri’s sleep deprived face. Even with the half gallon of coffee he had drank during breakfast he still looked like death.

 

“Phichit!  This isn’t funny!” Viktor whined. “Look at him! He looks like something the cat just dragged in!” He cried, shaking Yuuri for good measure.

 

“Yes, very true, but that’s nothing a little makeup can’t fix.” Phichit replied, the laugh still caught in this throat as he pulled out a tube of concealer.  “Obviously not his color… but we’ll make it work.”

 

“Phichit!  This is serious!  LOOK AT HIM!”  Viktor yelled, arms flailing everywhere.

 

Putting the concealer away after dabbing a little under Yuuri’s eyes Phichit turned his attention back to Viktor.  “Yes, I see him.  This is normal for him Viktor… seriously, he’s always like this before a major competition… I don’t know how this is news to you… or I do know because I mean this time last year you had no idea who he was…”

 

“Phichit, not helping.” Yuuri offered when Viktor dramatically sunk down onto the floor in despair, clinging to the hem of Yuuri’s jacket.

 

“Okay… I mean he could always take you back to the hotel and-”

 

“NOPE!” Yuuri shouted, clapping his hand over Phichit’s mouth before he could finish that sentence.

 

Phichit continued to talk behind Yuuri’s hand, his words coming out muffled.  Pulling Yuuri’s hand away he smirked at his friend, “I was trying to say ‘ _ and make you take a nap _ .’”

 

“Sure you were.” Yuuri replied sardonically, shooting him a glare before mumbling, “You promised.”

 

“What?” Phichit exclaimed hand flying over his heart, feigned innocence plastered on his face.  

 

“Don’t give me that.  Your innocent act won’t work on me.”

 

“Heh,” Phichit chuckled, “But honestly, Yuuri… I wasn’t going to say  _ that _ , it’s not like I can go back with you guys and film it… I still have to skate… just because  _ your _ coach would be willing to take you back to the hotel and  _ sleep with you _ , mine still expects me to skate.”

 

Yuuri glared at Phichit, letting out a squeak as Viktor picked himself up off the floor and draped an arm around him.  “Yes!  That is a wonderful idea! Come, Yuuri, let’s go take a nap.”

 

“Have fun  _ sleeping _ !~” Phichit called after them, laughing as he took off his guards and stepped onto the ice, Celestino shaking his head with a smirk, taking the skate guards from Phichit.

 

When the buzzer went off signaling the end of the session, Phichit skated over to the boards and stepped off the ice.  With one hand he fished out his phone, which had been buzzing in his pocket during the latter half of practice, slipping on the skate guards with the other.  He didn’t need to look at it to know what it was about, Yuuri probably rejected Viktor’s offer to nap  _ with him _ .

  


 

Letting out a low growl Phichit shoved his phone back into his pocket, and sat down to unlace his skates, jamming them roughly into his bag once he pulled them off.

 

“You seem upset.”

 

The unexpected voice startled Phichit and he was surprised to see Christophe Giacometti standing before him when he looked up from his things.  “Your friend is an idiot.”

 

Taking a swig of water Christophe nodded and offered him a small smile.  “Viktor? Yea, he’s the worst.”

 

“I mean… I wouldn't say  _ the worst _ … my buddy's not really  _ helping _ the situation…” Phichit said with a roll of his eyes. “Like seriously, how hard is it to just tell the fool how you feel? These two have been skating around each other for months now… they seriously just need to fuck or something.”

 

“Wait, you're saying they never…” Christophe gasped, placing his hand over his mouth.

 

“Nope.” Phichit answered, coming to a stand, shouldering his bag.

 

“Wow.” Christophe mouthed.  “So… when Viktor says they’re sleeping together…”

 

Phichit let out a long hearty laugh, as they began to walk together toward the exits, “He means literally sleeping.”

 

“But that picture you posted on Instagram…”

 

“Believe it or not,  _ that _ was taken inside a restaurant.”

 

“Scandalous.”

 

“Tell me about it… poor Yuuri…” Phichit said with a smirk as he shook his head. “Took the poor guy a good five minutes to get Viktor's pants back on. I'm surprised his head didn't explode he was so red.”

 

“Oh? That's surprising, I’ve always assumed Yuuri had a wild side.”

 

“Heh,” Phichit chuckled, “Drunk Yuuri is quite deceptive, normal Yuuri is nowhere as crazy.”

 

Christophe hummed in acceptance, as they made their way toward the hotel in a calm silence.  

 

“So,” Christophe asked, holding open the door for Phichit, “what are you plans for the rest of the day?”

 

Before Phichit had a chance to answer, Viktor rushed over to them and clapped his hands onto Phichit’s shoulders,  “Phichit!  You have to help me.”

 

Letting out a sigh Phichit calmly removed Viktor’s hands and looked over at Christophe, who simply raised an eyebrow at him.  “I have lunch plans with this guy, who evidently is on the verge of a mental breakdown, if you would like to come.”  He said, as Viktor fell against him.

 

“Phichit!~ I don’t know what to do.” Viktor wailed, before pausing to acknowledge Christophe who was standing off to the side, smirking at him.  “Hello, Chris, joining us for lunch?”

 

“Like I told you before,” Phichit said as he spread the sauce over the thin pancake, adding some green onion before placing the duck skin on top and gently folding the whole thing over.  “Yuuri’s always been like this before competitions.  His anxiety is nothing new…”

 

“But what do I do for him?” Viktor pouted poking at his food, the duck doing nothing to lift his spirits, and Phichit actually felt sorry for him.  

 

Viktor Nikiforov was coming unravelled because he could not figure out how to pull Yuuri out of his own head.  Phichit wished he had a secret formula he could give Viktor to help, but navigating Yuuri’s fragile mind was difficult, and even Phichit didn’t get it right all the time.  If it had only been about skating, things would have been easier, but this time, Yuuri’s anxiety had less to do with skating and more to do with Viktor himself.

 

“I don’t know…” Phichit finally said, letting out a sigh. “I mean he usually snaps out of these moods in time, but it’s different this time…”

 

“Different how?” Viktor asked, perking up a little.

 

“Well… for starters this time it has more to do with you than it does skating.”

 

“Me?” Viktor gasped, “I don't understand.”

 

Phichit nodded as he chewed contemplatively. “He wants you so bad that he sometimes forgets how to breathe.”

 

“But he rejected me.”

 

Phichit laughed, not unkindly, but rather dryly. “Not for the reasons you think. Yuuri loves you. You know that, I know that, Christophe here probably knows that, heck the whole skating world probably knows that after his two declarations… but Yuuri... he just can’t get out of his own head sometimes. He didn't kick you out because he didn't want you there, trust me, he wants you there, surely you know that.”

 

Viktor nodded, “Yes, yes. I just wish there was something I could do to help him refocus.”

 

“Hmm,” Christophe mused, “why don’t you just try kissing him or something?”

 

A spark flashed across Viktor's eyes as his face lit up with a smile. “Yes, yes, I suppose I could… kissing him would be nice… he's so kissable… those lips… ugh...”

 

“Are you seriously telling me you haven't kissed him yet?” Christophe gasped in surprise. “What are you waiting for?”

 

Viktor shrugged. “The right moment?”

 

“Jesus, really?” The dissatisfaction with that answer was not lost in Christophe's voice. “But you're all over him all the time, even I started to get jealous.”

 

“That's different,”Viktor replied in defense, “he welcomes those gestures, I'm not sure how to breach a kiss yet… it's so much more intimate, and I would be devastated if he were to be unreceptive to it.”

 

Phichit sat quietly as he continued to eat his lunch, smiling to himself as he took in this much more sincere side of Viktor. For all the grief he put Yuuri through, it was nice to know that Viktor really had been restraining himself for Yuuri's sake. A wave of relief washed over him, knowing that no matter what will happen tonight, that Yuuri would be okay, because his precious glass heart would be safe in this man's hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Tumblr pics](http://ishxallxgood.tumblr.com/post/157137655932/chapter-24-of-re-yuri-katsuki-instagram)


	25. Chapter 25

Phichit cringed as he watched Yuuri take off into a quad Salchow only to land on his side. Flubbing jumps during warm-ups was not going to help his anxiety, but Yuuri was stubborn and probably ignored Viktor's advice to not do any jumps. He wanted to skate over and help him up, give him a hug and maybe a pep talk, but before he got a chance they were being ushered off the ice and Viktor had already draped an arm around Yuuri.

 

Phichit followed after them, Celestino by his side as they made their way back toward the holding area, humming to himself as he continued to move to the dance still swimming in his head.  He felt lighter, relieved that Yuuri had Viktor by his side, to anchor him in ways neither he nor Celestino ever could.  It was nice, knowing that the one person Yuuri had ever wanted more than anything in this world, needed him just the same.  Viktor’s strength would lift Yuuri to new heights and Phichit couldn't wait to see how high Yuuri would soar.

 

Not as high as him though, not today at least, today was Phichit Chulanont's day, and in about twenty minutes he would be showing the world what Thailand was capable of. He was ecstatic, he had poured his heart and soul into this program and it really was beautiful. Tonight he was not going to mess up his quads, his performance was going to be flawless, and the world would be left breathless.

 

Yuuri was a growing ball of anxiety, but around every turn Viktor was there, and by the time Phichit went out to greet the ice, Viktor had already dragged Yuuri away to some unknown location. Phichit was glad he didn't have to worry about Yuuri, seeing his best friend so shaken was unnerving, but knowing Viktor was there calmed him and helped him focus on just being awesome.

 

Stepping onto the ice he felt unstoppable. His head was clear and his heart was light, and the music flowed through his body in ways he hadn't known possible before. Every single one of his jumps were landed flawlessly and he was in shock as the music faded, collapsing onto his back with his fists held high, tonight he had done it.  This was the start of a brilliant season, Grand Prix finals, here he comes.  Barcelona would not know what hit it by the time Phichit Chulanont was done.

 

“Congratulations.” Christophe said as Phichit entered the waiting room, “I’m impressed you scored almost two whole points above me.”

 

Phichit smile broadly, “Tonight, I’m taking the gold!  Watch out Viktor, not even our Yuuri can stop me now!”

 

“Such confidence,” Christophe remarked, “Not that I don’t have faith in you, but didn’t that American take gold at Skate America?  And there’s Georgi too, I wouldn’t underestimate the power of Russian skating, especially under Yakov’s tutelage.”

 

Shrugging, Phichit pulled out his phone, quickly posting the selfie he had taken at the kiss and cry.  “I’m not too worried, Leo’s great, but without any quads, I don’t think he’ll surpass me this time.  His presentation is strong, but nothing compared to the program I just pulled off.  Georgi is a little worrisome… but not enough for me to think the gold won’t be mine.  I mean if I can outscore last year’s Grand Prix final’s silver medalist, I’m confident the gold is as good as mine.”  He added with a wink.

 

Christophe let out a chuckle, “Yes, I suppose you do have a point there.”

 

“Oh that reminds me,” Phichit said as he caught sight of Guang-Hong. “Completely off topic, but we’re all going out tomorrow night, after the exhibition, if you’re still around you should come with us.”

 

“Oh?” Christophe asked raising an eyebrow.

 

“Yeah, it’ll be fun.  I figured it’ll be nice to let loose… especially since it’s been so long since I’ve had a chance to go wild with Yuuri.”  Phichit tapped away at his phone, as he spoke, “here, that’s the place we’re going to.” He said, passing Christophe his phone.

 

“Interesting,” Christophe murmured as he scrolled through the site, sending himself a text with the location, “looks like fun, I think I should be able to make it, my flight out isn't until the afternoon… oh, it looks like Viktor needs you.”

 

Taking back his phone Phichit let out a sigh as he swiped at the Instagram notification.

 

  


 

A surge of emotion coursed through him as he clutched his phone, knuckles turning white and he fought the urge to throw it across the room, or shove it down Viktor's throat, whichever.

 

“What’s wrong?” Christophe asked gingerly, unsure of how to approach the seemingly enraged Phichit.

 

Taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself down, Phichit looked up at Christophe, attempting to subdue the anger raging inside of him.  “Viktor made Yuuri cry…” He spat, “and I have half a mind to embed my knife shoes into his face.”

 

“Oh,” Christophe mouthed.  “Is he okay?  Yuuri that is.”

 

“He fucking better be.  Living legend or not, I will fucking end Viktor Nikiforov if he's not, fuck the police.” Phichit growled.

 

“Whoa bro, you okay?” Leo asked, catching Phichit's expression as he entered the room, Guang-Hong coming up next to him.

 

Silently, Phichit handed Leo his phone, Leo's eyes opening wide as he read over the messages that were still opened. “Whoa. Where are they? I'll help you end Nikiforov.”

 

Guang-Hong took the phone from Leo quickly scanning the text, his eyes narrowing as he handed it back to Phichit. “Wow. Poor Yuuri. And he has to skate in less than ten minutes.”

 

At that moment, the pair walked toward them, Viktor’s hand resting gently on Yuuri’s shoulder as they made their way toward the ice.  Yuuri for his part seemed to have calmed down significantly, and glanced over at Phichit, catching his eye before offering him a small reassuring smile. Viktor on the other hand flinched and pulled back slightly, clearly startled by the group of skaters glaring at him with murder in their eyes. Phichit gave Yuuri a slight nod, indicating that he understood, his glare following Viktor as he pushed opened the curtain and followed after Yuuri.

 

“What was that all about?” Christophe whispered in Phichit's ear, closer than necessary.

 

Suppressing a shudder Phichit pulled away a little and looked up at Christophe, his features relaxing as he let out a small sigh. “Yuuri letting me know he's fine and that I don't have to cut a bitch. Viktor said something stupid to trigger him but it's alright because he knows Viktor didn't mean it and he's over it now and feels much better after he got a good cry out.”

 

“You got all that from a slight smile?” Christophe asked, impressed.

 

“Ha, never underestimate the power of the Phichuuri connection.” Leo laughed, accepting Phichit's acceptance of Yuuri's mood.

 

“Yuuri and I have had whole conversations without words before… perks of living with your bff who has a tendency to close himself off from the world at times.” Phichit replied with a grin.

 

“Looks like you're still on top.” Christophe stated when Georgi's scores were posted.

 

“Naturally. I'm surprised you'd assume otherwise.” Phichit replied playfully, giving him a wink as Leo and Guang-Hong gasped in shock.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Tumblr](http://ishxallxgood.tumblr.com/post/157227248572/chapter-25-of-re-yuri-katsuki-instagram)


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my gosh I can't believe this has hit 2000 kudos. You guys are amazing! <333
> 
> In honors of Valentine's day... I give you THE KISS!!!

Phichit excused himself from the group as Celestino stepped in from the arena, waving to him as he made his way over.

 

“Phichit my boy,”  Celestino exclaimed as he approached, clapping his hands onto his shoulders.  “You've done it, the gold is as good as ours.”

 

“I wouldn't count Yuuri out yet,” Phichit replied, his lips drawn tight. “He may surprise us still...”

 

Celestino nodded, acknowledging Phichit's statement as they watched Yuuri step onto the ice, patting Viktor on the head before skating off onto center ice.  If Phichit had any doubt as to whether or not Yuuri was actually as okay as he stated, this one action dispersed it for him. Yuuri was fine, Viktor was an idiot, and Phichit’s desire for his head had subsided significantly.

 

Yuuri seemed unusually calm, and Phichit couldn't help but wonder if it had anything to do with Viktor triggering him and allowing him to be overwhelmed by his emotions so he could actually find some sort of release from those demons in his head. When Phichit caught the slight upturn of Yuuri's lips moments after his program started,  he found himself smiling along with his friend.  Phichit understood that smile and couldn't help but think that Viktor's reaction to Yuuri’s meltdown must have really been something to behold, especially considering the slew of messages Phichit had received. It entertained him to know that Yuuri had also found it amusing in the end.

 

Phichit watched entranced by Yuuri's skating, which was honestly even more beautiful than he had ever remembered. The moment he landed that first quad toe combination, Phichit felt his anger toward Viktor dissipate completely. Evidently getting Yuuri to have his breakdown before the competition was the key to unlocking Yuuri's potential.

 

“He seems unusually relaxed today.” Phichit heard Celestino comment, and a knowing smile found its way onto Phichit's lips.

 

Phichit cheered loudly when Yuuri landed his quad Salchow flawlessly, moving into the most mesmerizing camel spin Phichit had ever seen.  Yuuri’s program was indescribable, and Phichit drank in every last movement of Yuuri’s body.  The music flowed out of Yuuri, and for a split second Phichit feared for his gold, but then he touched down on his triple axel. Phichit felt bad as a wave of relief washed over him, it was rough wanting the best for your friend and yourself at the same time. The over rotated triple Salchow at the end of his next combination made Phichit cringe, but then Yuuri pulled off a flawless triple lutz, triple toe loop and that step sequence, how Yuuri could ever believe he was anything less than sheer perfection on the ice was beyond him.  Yuuri pulled out moves that even the living legend, Viktor Nikiforov, himself couldn’t possibly replicate.  Viktor might have flawless jumps, but Yuuri, Yuuri had unparalleled grace and beauty, not to mention an endless stamina, that no other skater currently competing could possibly match.

 

Phichit gasped as Yuuri took off on his final jump, his eyes opening wide as he counted the rotations, sure Yuuri missed the landing, but it did not stop the massive smile which broke out across his face. Yuuri had just attempted a quad flip in competition, and at the very end of his program to boot. Sure he was going to get a deduction for that landing, but there were enough rotations, and Phichit could see the shock and pride in Celestino's eyes.

 

Yuuri had surpassed all their wildest imaginations and he had Viktor to thank for it. Sure Viktor had broken Yuuri moments before but he had also pieced him back together more brilliantly than anyone had ever seen.  If this was what he was capable of, Phichit couldn't wait to see the Yuuri Viktor would unveil at the finals. Yes, this season would be the mark of something new in Yuuri's career, and the future was all that much more exciting for it.

 

The whole room gasped as one when Viktor collided with Yuuri, time slowed to a halt for a few seconds as the world watched Viktor Nikiforov slam his lips onto Yuuri Katsuki’s.  Talk about a declaration of love. By the time they hit the ice, a hushed silence fell over everyone as they stared in shock, processing what it was they just saw. The moment Viktor lifted his head and Yuuri smiled back at him, Phichit started screaming.  His screams resounded across the room, breaking the silence and all at once everyone found their voices and began speaking as one. As for Phichit, he simply couldn’t stop screaming. Not after Viktor helped Yuuri to his feet, not when they made their way over to the kiss and cry, hands intertwined, not even when Yuuri's scores were posted and it became evident that Phichit had taken the gold. No, Phichit couldn’t stop screaming, and the moment the pair stepped into the room, he rushed over to them, launching himself at Yuuri, enveloping him in a hug as he continued to scream "Viktuuri!"

 

Yuuri let out a laugh as his friend collided with him, Christophe, Leo and Guang-Hong making their way over to congratulate the couple.  Phichit caught the way Viktor’s face turned red when Christophe whispered something in his ear, and couldn’t help smirking. When he finally released Yuuri he glanced over at Viktor and offered him a slight smile, before pulling him into a hug. “This changes nothing, and the next time you make him cry, I won’t hesitate to embed my skates into your face.” Phichit warned, his voice caught somewhere between playful and threatening.

 

“You do not have to worry, I have no intention of ever breaking him again...” Viktor replied, “... at least not in that way.”

 

Phichit let out a laugh, “Good.  Protect Yuuri's smile with your life.” 

 

When Viktor answered him with a nod and a breathless “I will,” Phichit released him and turned his attention back to Yuuri, letting out a squeal and shouting “Viktuuri!” again.  

 

Phichit could not have asked for more in life than that moment before the awards ceremony when he stepped onto the ice with his three best friends.  Gathered in the same space he felt like Athos with his Porthos and Aramis by his side, together fiercely protecting their precious d’Artagnan.  

 

“We have to get a selfie together on the ice,” Guang-Hong said as they skated together toward center ice, Leo nodding furiously on his other side.  Phichit, never one to turn down a selfie with his squad, whipped out his phone and they leaned into him.  Noticing the setup, Yuuri pulling his eyes away from Viktor drawing Viktor and Georgi's attention.  Waving Christophe over, Phichit could not help the slight blush that dusted his cheeks as Christophe blew a kiss at the camera and hit the shutter button.  This was definitely the best day of his life.

 

Stepping off the ice after the awards ceremony, Phichit could not stop fingering his medal, pride coursing through his veins.  Yuuri smiled brightly at him and suggested another picture, which Phichit happily obliged, pleasantly surprised that Christophe draped an arm around Yuuri and invited himself into the photo.

 

“Congratulations on your gold.” Viktor said to him before pulling Yuuri into his arms.

 

“Thanks Viktor.” Phichit said as he tapped on his phone, his fingers flying across the screen as he posted the photo he just captured.

 

Tapping Phichit on the shoulder Viktor gave him a wink before turning Yuuri around and planting another kiss on his lips, Phichit's phone letting out a burst of flashes shutter noises.

 

“Viktor!” Yuuri cried when they finally broke the kiss, the blush on his face reaching the tips of his ears, that smile on his face never faltering. Phichit quickly turned around and snapped a selfie with the pair in the background, typing out a caption before tagging both of them with the hashtag  _ Viktuuri _ .

 

Both their phones went off in Viktor's pocket, pulling them out he handed Yuuri his before unlocking his own, grinning wildly at the picture Phichit had just posted.

 

“Phichit!” Yuuri exclaimed, “I can't believe you just posted that!”

 

Phichit simply laughed, “Oh come on Yuuri, it's not like I posted the pictures I took right before that one… although your first kiss was broadcasted on international television… then again, declaring your love on international television is kinda your MO now.”


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had so much fun writing this chapter, I hope you have just as much fun reading ii <3

Phichit wasn’t surprised when Yuuri politely declined his offer for dinner. Yuuri was exhausted, considering he probably hadn’t slept since that first night there. Besides, Phichit was sure that the two of them would just want some time alone to suck face.

 

He had barely made it back into the room after dinner with Leo and Guang-Hong when his phone started buzzing.

  
  
  
  


 

Stupid man. Stupid, stupid, man.  At least he was a stupid man who was desperately in love with Yuuri. Letting out a sigh, Phichit tossed his phone onto the bed before getting ready for sleep.

 

The exhibition the next day was probably some of the most fun skating he had ever done in his life. He showcased a routine he had been playing around with back in Detroit, when he and Yuuri used to reenact part of  _ The Skater and the King _ for fun. They had debated skating together, but as neither one of them were used to pair skating they had decided against it. Still, it reminded Phichit of all those years they spent together, and that was worth more than the gold medal he had won the night before.

 

“How freaking stoked are you!?” Leo exclaimed, bouncing on the balls of his feet as they waited in the lobby for Viktor and Yuuri, Guang-Hong grinning like a maniac by his side.

 

“Totally.” Phichit replied, glancing toward the elevators again when they heard a ding.

 

Phichit’s whole body vibrated with excitement as they weaved their way through the crowd toward their reserved table, his heart thumping in tune with the bass.  Viktor took no time to procure a bottle of Russian Standard Platinum, pouring out the shots before everyone even had a chance to take off their coats.

 

Grabbing a shot Phichit grinned at Yuuri, handing it to him before picking up another one declaring, “TO VIKTUURI!~”

 

The group cheered and toasted, throwing back the shots, their glasses immediately refilled by an overly enthusiastic Russian.  “We should toast to Phichit’s gold!”  Viktor announced, lifting his glass and giving Phichit a wink.

 

“Later, later,” Phichit said, lowering Viktor’s arm, “first things first! Yuuri, DANCE FLOOR!”  He shouted, leaping over the table, careful to not knock over the shots, and before Yuuri could respond, Phichit had already grabbed him by the arm and dragged him off into the sea of people, Leo and Guang-Hong following closely behind.

 

Carving out a space for themselves, the four friends allowed the music to flow through them, losing themselves in the beat.

 

“Phichit!” Yuuri screamed above the music, leaning in so Phichit could hear, “Viktor kissed me!”

 

Phichit laughed as he joined Yuuri in his dance, taking the lead. “Yes, I know! He did it on international television!” Phichit screamed back, spinning Yuuri before placing his hands back onto his hips.

 

“Water!” Phichit screamed to the group, gesturing with his hands, after the fourth song, wiping the sweat from his brow.

 

Viktor's face lit up when they finally made their way back to the table, Yuuri practically throwing himself against Viktor the moment he caught sight of him. Laughing, Phichit passed Yuuri a glass of water before downing his own. Grabbing the half empty bottle of vodka, he glanced over at Viktor and Christophe who were both pleasantly drunk. “Thirsty much?” he asked pouring out the shots.

 

Christophe merely laughed taking a shot glass, “well you all disappeared into the crowd before we could follow, vodka was the next best thing to quench our thirst.”

 

Grinning Phichit raised his glass, “to Yuuri's silver!”

 

Shooting back the shot, Yuuri in turn refilled the glasses, raising a toast to Phichit's gold. The shots of alcohol swam nicely in Phichit's head, rendering him quite buzzed. As the song transitioned into a new one, Phichit's eyes couldn't help but be drawn to one of the many poles littered around the room, the closest one just a stone's throw from the table they were at. The gogo dancers were just stepping off and a wicked grin crossed his face.

 

Phichit could feel Christophe come up next to him, his arm heavy as it rested around his shoulders, his gaze following Phichit's. “Oh,” he mouthed before turning toward Yuuri with a devious smile. “Yuuri,” he called, pulling the younger man's attention away from Viktor’s mouth. “Looks like the pole's free.”

 

Leo choked on his drink as Yuuri's face stiffened, a dark, serious expression overtaking the blissful glee it held just moments ago.

 

“Chris.” Yuuri's voice was low and stern, and honestly sent shivers down Phichit's spine.

 

“Yuuri.” Christophe repeated, sensually.

 

Yuuri shifted, taking a step away from Viktor he stumbled forward, the two shots of vodka in quick succession messing with his equilibrium.  Phichit watched in amusement as Yuuri approached them, that darkness swimming in his chocolate brown eyes as they locked into Christophe's sea green ones. “The only pole I'm wrapping myself around tonight is Viktor's.”

 

A glass shattered somewhere behind them, followed by a soft thud, Leo and Guang-Hong's howling laughter drawing their attention.

 

“Viktor Nikiforov just fucking fainted!”

 

That's about when Phichit lost it, and broke out in uncontrollable laughter, clutching onto Christophe's side so he wouldn't fall over too. Yuuri for his part just turned on his heel and pulled Viktor up from off the floor, muttering to himself in Japanese.

 

Viktor's eyes fluttered opened as Yuuri settled him onto his lap, trailing kisses down the side of his neck.

 

Taking in a deep breath, Phichit contained the last of his laughter and released Christophe from his grasp, ducking out from under his arm, Phichit grabbed the bottle of vodka and plopped down next to Yuuri. 

 

“You seem thirsty.” He said, handing Yuuri the bottle, who took it graciously, taking a swig before handing it back to Phichit. 

 

Turning toward Phichit, Viktor swiped at the bottle which Phichit pulled out of his reach. “I think you've had enough Viktor.” Phichit said teasingly. “We wouldn't want a repeat of hotpot… my innocence was shook that night.”

 

“Pffffft,” Yuuri scoffed, grabbing the bottle from Phichit. “Innocence my ass.”

 

The corners of Phichit's lips turned upwards into a dangerous smirk, “Care to say that again, love? Perhaps Viktor would like to see my album from amateur night.”

 

Yuuri's eyes opened wide, a sobering look crossing his face as he waved his hands furiously in front of him, the bottle slipping from his hand. “No, no, no, no, ,no… you are an innocent angel sent from heaven to grace us with your presence.”

 

Catching the bottle Phichit stood up and gave him a wink with a smug smile. “Thought so.”

 

“Amateur night?” Viktor asked, his mouth opening wide into that heart shaped smile of his whenever he was overly excited. Scrambling out of Yuuri's lap Viktor threw himself at Phichit, his hands coming down hard onto Phichit's shoulders. “Now you simply  _ must _ show me that album.”

 

“Nope, nope, nope, never gonna happen.” Yuuri exclaimed, pulling Viktor back toward himself, away from Phichit.

 

“But Yuuuuuuuri…” Viktor whined, wrapping his arms around Yuuri's neck as he nuzzled the space between his neck and shoulder. “You shouldn't keep things from your coach.”

 

Phichit snorted before downing the last bit of vodka in the bottle. “Yes Yuuri,” he purred, mimicking Viktor's tone, “you should just give your coach a live demonstration.” He added with a wink, inclining his head toward the pole.

 

Yuuri swallowed, a brief contemplative look crossing his face before the alcohol took over and he gently pushed Vitkor off, glancing toward the pole as he loosened the top buttons of his shirt.  Phichit smirked to himself as he watched Viktor’s eyes open wide with anticipation, practically drooling as his non-existent tail thumped wildly behind him.  Before Yuuri could come to a full stand, Phichit pushed him back down, “You know what, come to think of it, I've got a better idea.” He said, grinning wildly at the devastation which crossed Viktor’s face.

 

Yuuri’s face lit up as Phichit undid the buttons of his own shirt, pulling it off before he kicked off his shoes.  “Phichit!” Yuuri exclaimed, unable to contain his excitement.  “Oh yes!  It’s been so long…”

 

Phichit chuckled as he removed his pants.  “For you maybe, there are an unsurprising amount of strip clubs in Bangkok…”

 

From the corner of his eye, Phichit watched as Yuuri trembled with excitement, Viktor pouting by his side, whimpering like a kicked puppy, lamenting the fact that it was not Yuuri mounting the pole.

 

In two swift motions Phichit ascended the pole, his body spinning in tune to the music before he dropped back down, in an inverted death drop that had everyone gasping. Yuuri might have been raw power on the pole, with strength enough to hold a grown man on his back with nothing but his thighs, but Phichit, Phichit was grace and agility. Phichit had a sort of control on his drops and spins that were simply mind blowing. By the time he finished his routine and stepped down, Leo was shaking an unconscious Guang-Hong who had started foaming at the mouth. Yuuri was absolutely giddy, bouncing in his seat clapping wildly while Viktor tried unsuccessfully to hold his pout.  Christophe on the other hand stood there stunned, mouth slightly agape, eyes blown wide, drink half raised to his lips.

 

Phichit let out a laugh as he attempted to pull on his pants, Yuuri launching himself at him, ripping the pants out of his hands as he demanded an encore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Tumblr Post]()
> 
> Curious about amateur night? [Shamless plug](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9822398)


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long, I got distracted with a bunch of things, life, it was my adorable daughter's 5th birthday this weekend ([look how cute she is](http://ishxallxgood.tumblr.com/post/157465413012/because-we-were-born-to-make-history))
> 
> Got stuck somewhere in the middle of writing this chapter and needed a break so I wrote [Amateur night](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9822398) so now you know what Phichit knows. xD
> 
> Anyway, enjoy. Hopefully I'll get the next one out faster.

Phichit woke up the next morning to the incessant buzzing of his phone, incredibly sore, with a pounding in his head, a dry mouth and more bruises on his inner thighs than he knew what to do with.  Groaning he rubbed at his eyes, stretched and sat up, pulling each arm across his chest to let out a loud crack as the tension released from each shoulder blade.  Rotating his shoulders a few times to loosen them up he swiped at his phone.

  


 

The moment Phichit knocked the door swung open as if Viktor had been standing on the other side just waiting for him to show up.

 

“Good morning Phichit!” Viktor chirped, and Phichit cringed, internally cursing Viktor’s Russian non-hangover-getting genes.

 

“Viktor.” Phichit said, stepping into the room, looking him over as he passed. “Do you have anything on under that robe?”

 

Viktor raised an eyebrow and shook his head no, allowing the door to close behind him before following Phichit over to the bed where Yuuri was dead to the world.

 

“Excellent. Could you indulge me and remove it?” Phichit asked as he leaned over Yuuri, poking him in the face.

 

“Sure, but I didn’t know you were so interested.” Viktor teased.

 

Phichit let out a scoff and turned toward him, “Oh please, stop flattering yourself Viktor, you ain’t got nothing I haven’t seen before…”

 

Pouting, Viktor removed the robe, draping it across the chair as he waited for further instruction from Phichit.

 

“Okay, so operation wake Yuuri up.  It's simple really… he has a trigger. This is going to be fun.”  Coming to a stand Phichit waved Viktor over.  “Okay, can you sit at the end of the bed here, on his legs?”

 

Nodding, Viktor followed Phichit’s directions, climbing onto the bed he straddled Yuuri’s lower legs and sat down.  “I don’t understand how this is going to wake him up though.”

 

“Just wait.  Here, hold this.” Phichit said, handing Viktor his phone, which was already opened to the camera app.  “I need you to record this, because it’s too good not to.”

 

“What are you doing?” Viktor questioned, focusing the camera on Yuuri’s sleeping face, tapping a photo.

 

“Waking drunk Yuuri up.” Phichit replied with a devious grin, “now hit the record button.”  

 

When he was sure that Viktor was recording, he knelt down next to the bed again, turning toward Viktor he gave the camera a wink before leaning in close to Yuuri’s ear. “Yuuuuuuri!~” Phichit purred loudly, so the microphone could pick up his voice. “Viktor Nikiforov is sitting in front of you naked.”

 

Phichit had about a second and a half to pull back before Yuuri bolted upright.  “Phichit! You have to stop doing tha-” Yuuri gasped as his eyes adjusted to Viktor's smiling face in front of him. Phichit watched as he fought with himself to not trail his eyes down, squirming as his legs were weighed down by Viktor's very naked form, trapping him in place.  “V… Vi… Viktor…” he stammered before turning eight different shades of red and then buried his face into his hands.

 

Letting out a laugh Viktor turned the camera toward himself and exclaimed, “that’s me!” 

 

Yuuri glanced up from his hands and for the first time noticed the phone. “What the hell Phichit!?” He yelled, attempting to reach for the phone, but Phichit pulled it out of Viktor's hands and leapt backwards, Yuuri falling over half off the bed, his legs still pinned in place by Viktor.  still glaring at Phichit he picked himself up as best as he could, when realization dawned upon him. “Wait, you were recording that!?”

 

Phichit smirked at him, hitting the stop button. “Technically Viktor was recording that.” He retorted, only to have Yuuri attempt to lunge at him again, his efforts thwarted when Viktor pounced on top of him.

 

“Aaaaand that’s my cue to leave!~” Phichit exclaimed as Yuuri squeaked under Viktor’s weight.  “I’ll send you the video… message me your email.”

 

“Phichit!” He heard Yuuri’s muffled scream from under some unknown part of Viktor as he pulled open the door, “YOU’RE SUCH A LITTLE SHIT!”

 

Phichit laughed to himself as he began making his way back to his room, his face buried in his phone as he watched the replay of Yuuri's wakeup.

 

“Oh sorry,” he mumbled as he collided with someone when he turned the corner for the elevators. Looking up from his phone, still giggling to himself as he took in who he just walked into and offered the Swiss man a wave.

 

“No worries, good morning Phichit.” Christophe said with a smile.

 

“Dude, you have to see this.” Restarting the video he handed the phone to Christophe, another giggle escaping him as heard himself puur Yuuri's name on the video.

 

“That is priceless.” Christophe said, wiping the tears from his eyes when the video ended, the laugh still lingering. “You should post that.”

 

“Naw, Yuuri would die. I wouldn't do that to him.” He replied taking his phone back. Leaning in toward Christophe, Phichit placed a hand on his shoulder as he stood on his toes and snapped a selfie together. Christophe merely laughed at the ridiculousness of the pose, but was quite impressed when Phichit showed him the photo.

 

“You could have just asked me, I have a longer reach, but that is a very impressive photo.”

 

“Well yea, I took it.”  Phichit retorted with a grin, as he tapped away at the screen, posting the photo with @ _ christophe-gc  _ # _ newseasonnewfriends #seeyouatthefinals _ , “Besides, where’s the fun in asking for a picture?”

 

Putting his phone away he caught sight of the bags by Christophe’s side as the elevator dinged and the doors opened.  “Oh right, your flight is this afternoon, shame you’re leaving so soon. We're about to hit up the wall.”

 

Christophe gave him a smile as he entered the elevator, “Well, if I had known there’d be such good company, I might have tried to stayed an extra day.”

 

“There’s always Barcelona.” Phichit offered, stepping in he pushed the number for his floor.  “Too bad Leo and Guang-Hong won’t be there, but at least Yuuri will.”

 

Christophe chucked, “Those two were fun, their reactions are the best, especially the little one.” 

 

“Heh, yea. Guang-Hong’s pretty awesome.” Phichit said in agreement as the elevator began its descent. “I'm excited to see what Yuuri's gonna bring to the finals. Viktor's done wonders for his skating.”

 

“If he masters that flip, it will be an intense fight to the top.”

 

“Yes it will… but either way, it’ll be so much fun.” Phichit exclaimed as the elevator ground to a halt, giving off a ding before declaring the floor number. “I'm just so glad Yuuri decided to return this season, his skating gives me life… anyway, this is me. See you at the finals.”  He called back before the doors closed again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Tumblr pics]()


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All aboard the SS ChulaCometti
> 
> This is the chapter nobody asked for but everyone secretly wanted.
> 
> #yourewelcome

Back in Thailand, Phichit was still riding the high that was the Cup of China.  Those few days were seriously the most fun he had ever had in his whole life.  Forget winning gold, who was he kidding, how could he possibly forget winning gold, but having Yuuri up there to his right was possibly the best feeling in the world. Not to mention the fact that _the_ Christophe Giacometti who stood on his left, was now his _friend_.  Suddenly his basic, mediocre life of twenty years, was turned upside down and now everything was nothing short of surreal.

 

Pulling up the live stream of the Trophée de France, Phichit sent Christophe a quick ‘good luck’ message before connecting to the the call he had with Leo and Guang-Hong.

 

“ _Predictions?_ ” Guang-Hong asked munching away on a fistful of chips.

 

“Well Christophe’s obviously coming first.” Phichit offered, propping his phone up next to his laptop so he wouldn’t have to hold it the whole time.

 

“ _Yes, naturally.  I still can’t believe we got to hang out with him AND Viktor Nikiforov!  I mean is this really our lives now?  We’re friends with the God of Figure Skating?  LIke Viktor Fucking Nikiforov and Christophe Giacometti KNOW our names!”_ Leo exclaimed. “ _Oh it’s starting._ ”

 

The three friends watched the men’s Short Programs intently, offering their own commentaries here and there, gauging their competition.  By the end of the Short Program, Christophe was second, with Georgi Popovich ahead of him by barely a point.  They talked excitedly about how they thought the Free Skate would go, who the top three would be, whether or not they believed Georgi would be able to elbow Christophe out for the gold.  When the interviews were over, Phichit let out a yawn and bid his friends good night.  Dropping out of the call, he then turned off his laptop, putting it aside before plopping back down onto his bed.  Plugging in his phone, he bid pillow Yuuri goodnight out of habit and was just about to close his eyes when his phone buzzed.  Swiping at it he briefly wondered what meltdown Viktor was having now, when his eyes opened wide in surprise, his need for sleep quickly dissipating.

  


 

Phichit gasped as he read the last message that came through. Christophe Giacometti was _definitely_ flirting with him. His mind blanked and he couldn't think of a good response, Phichit Chulanont, master of social media, could not think of a good comeback. But really what was one supposed to say when Christophe Fucking Giacometti says _'sweet dreams, my beautiful one’_ to you. Fuck.

 

Phichit couldn't sleep. He tried to sleep, but he couldn't sleep. Life was getting a little too intense for him, and a little part of him longed for simpler times. Of early morning practices with Yuuri and college courses he never really paid attention to anyway. When the only thing that he actually had to worry about was whether or not his triple axel would ever be as graceful as Yuuri's.

 

Now his head was swimming with thoughts about qualifying for the Grand Prix Finals and not letting his country down if he got so far but didn't make it. There was so much weighing on him, and he had already done everything he could to qualify, everything now rested on the performances of people he had absolutely no control over.  Quite honestly it was nerve wrecking.  

 

Then there was the problem of Viktor, and whether or not he was treating Yuuri right, because he swears, if that man does anything to hurt Yuuri again, Phichit would probably do life in some international hellhole for murdering Viktor Fucking Nikiforov. Yuuri is the purest soul he had ever met in life, a bundle of nerves and anxiety, prone to depression, but had so much love and respect for everyone and everything around him that it was literally suffocating the man. In fact, Yuuri's love ran so deep that Phichit was convinced the reason why Yuuri had anxiety was because he was running himself ragged trying to make everyone around him smile that he forgot how to do it himself. The world was undeserving of someone like Yuuri Katsuki, and if Viktor fucked up again, there would most definitely be hell to pay.  

 

On top of all that, Christophe Fucking Giacometti was now shamelessly flirting with him and he honestly couldn't even begin to wrap his mind around what that even meant. Sure, it was obvious that Christophe was interested, at least enough to go out of his way to flirt, but the burning question was what did he, Phichit Chulanont, want out of this?

 

Phichit was no stranger to flings, meaningless relationships with mind blowing sex, exploring parts of himself he never knew existed, but Phichit never really had a _real_ relationship. Not like what Viktor and Yuuri have.  No, he had never been _in love_ with anyone before, he had never met anyone that special. He wondered what it felt like, what Viktor and Yuuri felt on the inside whenever they looked at each other and saw that unadulterated love reflected back into each other's eyes. Phichit could only pretend he understood, but he didn't. Sure he could _see_ it, any fool could see it. It was evident in the way Viktuuri made each other swoon, he could see it in others too, like Guang-Hong. He saw the way his friend would steal glances at Leo, the way his cheeks would flare up whenever Leo causally touched him, or leaned in to whisper something. He knew how to spot it in other people, he knew how to pick out when it's real and when it wasn't, the unfortunate thing was that he himself have never experienced.

 

What did he want out of Christophe Giacometti?  A casual fuck? God knows he wanted a piece of that ass, but did he also want something more meaningful?  He wasn’t sure.  Christophe was seeking the Yuuri to his Viktor, could Phichit be that for him?  He wasn’t sure.  It’s not like his breath would catch in his throat whenever he looked at the man, or like his stomach would do flips when he would lean in and whisper nonsense in his ear.  It's not like he had posters of the man up and made love to them when he believed his roommate was asleep.  No, it was nothing like the way Yuuri felt about Viktor, or the insane way Viktor felt about Yuuri, heck it wasn't even like the subtle way Leo and Guang-Hong interacted.  

 

What he did know for sure was that he enjoyed Christophe’s friendship.  It was easy, it wasn’t forced, and they fell into this comfortable rhythm as if they had known each other for years.  He felt at ease around the man, like he was interacting with Yuuri, and clearly the man felt the same way around him, considering the fact that he unloaded his heart to Phichit the very first time they spoke.  Phichit was confused, and wasn't sure what to do with this, this budding relationship between them.

 

Practice was unbearable the next day, as Phichit ended up lying awake for the next four hours, finally giving up when the sun began peeking through his window.  Luckily Celestino picked up on his sleep deprivation and went easy on him. Still, it was one of the longest six hours of his life, next to that one time he and Yuuri out picked up by Detroit Police and Celestino had to bail them out.  The practice they had to endure the morning after that fiasco, now _that_ was hell.  

 

Lunch and a massive amount of caffeine followed by a short nap had him feeling more like a functioning human being, and he spent the better part of the afternoon wandering through pets stores until he found what it was he was looking for.  He had been meaning to replace the hamsters that had passed away back in Detroit, such a shame they had such a short lifespan, but still they were adorable and he couldn’t help himself.  Eventually he found a store that had a good selection, and three little guys who simply spoke to him.  Purchasing everything he needed, he made his way back home and set up the cage in his room, showing his siblings his new friends and teaching them how to care for them, since he would need someone to look after them on the random weeks he’d be off competing.

 

By the time dinner time came around he was crashing from his caffeine fix and didn’t dare to have more since staying up all night again would be counter conducive to his current predicament.  He had half a mind to hit up the clubs in an effort to stay awake so that he could make it to one and watch the Free Skate, but unfortunately his body betrayed him and the moment he sat down on the couch he was out.

 

At some point, someone got him into his bed, and he awoke at half past three in the morning, the RSS feed running across his phone informing him that Christophe had won gold at the Trophée de France.  He felt pretty bad about missing it, but not as bad as he would have felt if it was Yuuri skating.  Opening Instagram he sent Christophe a quick congratulatory message.

  


 

The next thing he knew it was morning and his alarm was blaring reminding him that it was time for practice. Checking his phone he nearly had a heart attack when he read over the conversation his sleep ridden self had with Christophe.  He had forgotten that  _Christophe_ had suggested a ship name for them, Christophe Fucking Giacometti, suggest a ship name for  _them_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Tumblr post of pics](http://ishxallxgood.tumblr.com/post/157561548982/chapter-29-of-re-yuri-katsuki-fic)
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> Next up the Rostelecom cup and then off to Barcelona!~ <3


	30. Chapter 30

“ _ HOLY SHIT DID YOU SEE THAT!? _ ” Leo’s voice was seriously louder than necessary, because yes, he saw that.  They all saw that, they were all watching it together, and now everyone at the rink was staring at him funny.

 

Offering the strangers around him a charming smile he turned back to his conversation.  “Yes, I don’t think anyone could have missed Viktor making a show out of kissing Yuuri’s skate. Viktor Fucking Nikiforov… what the actual fuck man.  I swear… those two are going to be the death of me.”

 

“ _ Oh?  What now? _ ” Guang-Hong asked, pushing himself up from the prone position he was sprawled in.

 

“Nothing really, Viktor’s just being Vitkor as usual.  I had thought he would calm down a little and leave me alone after they became official or something, but nope. Still getting messages like they were going out of style.” Minimizing the chat he pulled up his Instagram and started reading off some the more recent messages, “‘ _ Phichit, help!  Yuuri won’t let me go to the bathroom with him.  Phichit!  He let me help him wash his back, heart emoji.  PHICHIT! DID YOU KNOW HE TALKS IN HIS SLEEP!? WHY DID YOU NOT TELL ME HE TALKS IN HIS SLEEP!? _ ’” 

 

“ _ Is he really like that?” _ Guang-Hong asked, slightly concerned for Yuuri, as Leo howled in laughter.

 

“ _ You never told us Yuuri talked in his sleep… what does he say?” _ Leo asked once he contained his laughter.

 

“You know… the usual…  _ Viktor, oh Viktor… VIKTOOOOR!~ _ ” Phichit moaned, dramatically mimicking Yuuri, earning himself some more stares.

 

Leo and Guang-Hong gasped in unison.  “ _ No… _ ”

 

“Oh yes… I have videos of it, it’s hilarious.”

 

“ _ Phichit Chulanont you’re holding out on us. _ ” Leo accused shaking a fist at him.

 

“Heh,” Phichit chuckled, “I’ll be sure to include it in the wedding video.”

 

_ “Oh my god, you’re evil… and wait, you’re telling us you NEVER told Viktor? _ ”

 

“No, why would I?” Phichit asked with a shrug, when the live stream of Yuri Plisetsky’s short program caught his attention, that flying sit spin was seriously what dreams must have been made of, and then that quad sal, triple toe... “Oh shit, Yuri Plisetsky is a beast!”

 

“ _ RIGHT!?  That is some freaking phenomenal skating right there… can I be Russian?” _ Leo bemoaned, “ _ I mean he’s four years my junior and almost at a level that could rival Viktor's. _ ”

 

“Yea what the hell Russia, how is it that you produce so many gods amongst men?”

 

“ _ Steroids? _ ”

 

“Get the fuck outta here with that. Yuuri would literally murder Viktor if that was the case.”

 

“ _ Kidding… _ ”

 

The three friends then fell silent as they continued watching the rest of the young Russian’s program, bewitched by the way the boy moved.  They were honestly slightly disappointed by the score, but then again he did miss a jump in the beginning, but still they felt it should have at least broken a hundred.  If he perfected that program, he would be a force to be reckoned with.

 

“ _ What are your thoughts on JJ? _ ” Guang-Hong asked as the last skater in that group took to the ice.

 

“Eh, I mean, he’s good, the skill’s undeniable… but that song though… I have a love hate relationship with that song… Like I hate it so much but can’t stop singing it.” Phichit admitted, turning up the volume of his laptop speakers a little.

 

“ _ Tell me about it!” _ Leo agreed, “ _ I mean how freaking narcissistic does one have to be!?” _

 

“ _ To be fair, our boy Yuuri’s Free Skate song is entitled ‘Yuri on Ice.’” _

 

“Yes, but it’s literally about his skating career… and Viktor… not some stupid anthem about being the fucking King. We all know who the King is. The King ain’t dead, the King is very much still alive and kicking and blowing up my phone like it’s his fucking job.”

 

“ _ Heh,” _ Leo scoffed, “ _ Clearly the King needs intel on how to woo his Queen. _ ”

 

“Aw fuck, JJ beat Yuuri's score. Lame.” Phichit said closing his laptop letting out a yawn before slipping it into his bag.

 

“ _ You're not going to watch the interviews? _ ” Guang-Hong asked stretching his arms up above him.

 

“No, I gotta get home and get some dinner and sleep. Ciao-Ciao’s pushing me extra hard this week since the finals are so close. Fucking shitballs the finals are so close! I don't even know if I'm going to qualify… guys, I'm having a level Yuuri meltdown here.”

 

“ _ You'll be fine! _ ” Guang-Hong chirped. “ _ We have the utmost faith in you. _ ”

 

“Thanks guys, see you later!” Ending the call he shoved his phone into his pocket before grabbing his gear and exited the building.  In two days he’ll know definitively whether or not he made it, for right now, all he could do is skate his little heart out in preparation for the finals.

 

Phichit hated that there was a day between the Short Program and the Free Skate, the anticipation was killing him, and so he spent the better part of the next morning practicing at the dance studio to get his mind off of skating.  Thirty two hours, that was how much time he had to kill before he knew whether or not he qualified, not that he was counting or anything.  

 

It was late afternoon before Phichit finally allowed himself a break as he mindlessly scrolled through Instagram while he sipped on some tea.  Landing on a curious post uploaded by Viktor, he nearly spat out his drink when he noticed that the man’s profile picture had changed.

 

 

Phichit blinked at the screen.  Viktor was back in Japan… and Yuuri was going to skate tomorrow, without Viktor there by his side? A sinking feeling entered his gut.  What will this mean for Yuuri?  Poor Yuuri must be freaking out right now, or maybe not, considering he had turned off his phone.  Phichit knew that Yuuri cutting himself off from the world could only mean one of two things.  The first being he was having a meltdown and didn’t want to speak to anyone, the second being he was extremely focused and didn’t want to be distracted.  

 

Normally in a situation like this it would most definitely have been the former, but there was the Viktor factor to consider now.  Yuuri wouldn’t push Viktor away again if he wasn’t feeling well, not when so much rode on his performance tomorrow.  No, the only reason why Yuuri would have turned off his phone in this situation was so that he wouldn’t be distracted by the reminder that Viktor was not by his side.  He needed to stay focused on what was right before him, and hearing Viktor’s voice would certainly have shattered those walls of glass he had built around himself to power through without the comfort and security of Viktor by his side.  

  
Phichit understood Yuuri’s reasoning.  He understood why Yuuri would have pushed Viktor to return him to Japan, because learning that Makkachin was in distress much have triggered those feelings of helplessness and guilt he felt when he couldn’t be there for Vicchan.  He knew that there was no way Yuuri could possibly allow Viktor to experience that kind of pain, that level of heart break.  No, Yuuri loved Viktor far too much for something like that.  Pushing Viktor to leave at the detriment of his own sanity was most definitely something Yuuri would do, and for that reason alone, Yuuri would have cut himself off.  He couldn’t risk the chance of learning that something terrible happened to Makkachin, he couldn’t risk unravelling and losing his composure at the sound of Viktor’s voice.  Unfortunately, he also couldn’t have possibly known the agony he was subjecting Viktor to by doing so.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Tumblr post for pics](http://ishxallxgood.tumblr.com/post/157627367417/chapter-30-of-re-yuri-katsuki-instagram-pics-fic)
> 
>  
> 
> So, I'm going to try to finish up the Rostelecom Cup before this weekend. I'm going on vacation all of next week, so... there won't be any update for at least a week (maybe... I might bring my laptop, we'll see what happens) so be warned.
> 
> That is all, thank you so much for all the love and support so far. <333
> 
> One more thing. This is [chapter 30.5](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9901484) Because it doesn't actually fit in this fic, but it does take place between this chapter and the next chapter. It changes nothing, but it gives you Viktuuri.


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not that you need to but [Remedy](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9901484) is the in-between chapter between this one and the previous one if you feel like reading it, and crying. <3

Phichit groaned as his alarm went off, honestly it was the most god awful sound he had ever heard in life, which is probably why it was his alarm. Sitting up he stretched and let out a yawn before swiping to shut the thing off. Whoever thought it was a great idea to have practice at the break of dawn should be shot.  Rubbing the sleep from his eyes his vision cleared, focusing on pillow Yuuri sitting casually on the chair he was banished to months ago.   _Poor real Yuuri_ , Phichit thought, _so far away and separated from batshit crazy pining Viktor_.  Speaking of which, he should probably check up on him, make sure he was still alive.

  


 

Collapsing onto his bed Phichit was thrown into an uncontrollable laughing fit, clutching his sides as he attempted to even process the words he had just read. Viktor 'I’m so fucking Extra™’ Nikiforov just shushed his text on a screen because it _might wake_ a sleeping Yuuri who he was creepily watching on FaceTime. _Really!?_ Is man even real?  Like how did he make it through almost twenty eight years of life?

 

When the laughter finally subsided, he pulled himself off of the bed, wiping the tears from his eyes. The takeaway from all this was the knowledge that Yuuri was asleep right now. _Yuuri was actually sleeping the night before a do or die competition_ , and he had Viktor to thank for it. He had to admit, Viktor had done good, and it _almost_ made up for the stunt he pulled in China. Hopefully in six hours Yuuri would still be able to maintain that calm and face the ice head on.

 

Practice was grueling as ever, and he worked and reworked his program until his feet hurt and his legs felt like they were burning. Collapsing onto a bench Phichit pulled out his phone to see if he could connect to a livestream so that he could watch the morning practice session.

 

Yuuri looked good. A whole lot calmer than usual, though he seemed more reserved and basically kept to himself, ignoring his temporary coach all together. Phichit noticed the small serene smile which broke out across Yuuri's face as he glanced at his phone when he got off the ice, the cameras following him as he made his way to the back.

 

“ _Do you think Yuuri will be okay?_ ” The concern in Guang-Hong's eyes dispelling as Phichit offered his friend an assertive nod.

 

“I think so, I know he slept last night, so that’s promising… and it would seem as if, he was in contact with Viktor earlier…” Phichit offered as they watched Seung-Gil receive his scores and Yuri Plisetsky take the ice.  Suddenly his phone flashed, a picture of Viktor taking up the screen as a FaceTime call came in.  “Oh shit guys, I gotta go… evidently Viktor’s FaceTiming me now… weird… I gotta go see what insanity is going on now.”

 

“ _Have fun, keep us posted!”_ Leo called out in response before Phichit ended the Skype call and accepted Viktor’s FaceTime request.

 

“ _Phichit!_ ” Viktor’s frantic voice rang out.

 

“Hello, Viktor.  What’s up?” Phichit said with a wave, his eyes filtering back toward the laptop screen. “Whoa, that step sequence is intense… how is this kid even human.”

 

“ _PHICHIT!  Stop watching Yurio skate and help me!”_ Viktor cried helplessly.

 

Turning his attention back toward a frazzled Viktor he nodded, asking, “What’s going on?”

 

“ _I can’t seem to connect to the livestream, no one here at the inn knows what’s going on and I don’t have time to get over to Minako’s place._ ”

 

“Oh… okay, um what site are you trying to connect into?”

 

“ _That’s the problem… I DON’T KNOW!_ ”

 

“Wait what do you mean you don’t know?  What do you normally use?”

 

“ _I don’t normally livestream events…_ ”

 

“Shit… okay, let me see what I can do for you…”  Propping the phone up next to the his laptop, Phichit started furiously typing away on his computer while Viktor looked like he was about to die. “Ummm… fuck really?  You couldn’t have called earlier… we have like five minutes to get you set up before Yuuri’s on… okay hold up.”

 

After a few minutes of googling, Phichit sent Viktor a series of links, and prayed that one of them would work.  “Okay, I emailed you a bunch of links.  Let me know if it works.”

 

He watched as Viktor frantically started clicking away at his computer, and after a few seconds he heard the announcer call out Yuri Plisetsky’s final combination jump.  “ _Phichit I’m in, thank you!”_

 

“You’re welcome.  How’s Yuuri?” Phichit asked as they watched Yuri Plisetsky come out of his combination jump in a grand finish before collapsing onto his knees.

 

“ _He seemed calm.  Honestly I haven’t spoken to him in a while, not since this afternoon after his morning practice._ ”  There was a deep sadness in Viktor’s voice, but other than that he seemed to have calmed down, and honestly, his expression mirrored the one Yuuri wore as the camera panned away from Plisetsky and followed their Yuuri onto the ice.

 

As Yuuri skated over to center ice, Plisetsky’s scores were announced, and Phichit caught the gleam of pride which passed across Viktor’s face momentarily before it fell back into melancholy as the camera once again focused on Yuuri.  He looked so sad, but calm, and determined, and Phichit knew he was going to be okay, that was until his first combination jump.  They both gasped in unison as the second jump turned into a single, Viktor’s eyes opening wide in fear before he violently shook the expression from his face.

 

“ _It’s okay… he’s going to be okay, he’s fine… he’s going to be fine… he can recover from that…_ ”

 

Yuuri seemed to have recovered from that flub, and as he continued to move across the ice it seemed as if something clicked within his mind, his movements got more fluid leading into the quad Salchow.  They both cried out in joy when he landed it neatly and moved into that beautiful camel spin of his.  Unfortunately the triple loop wasn’t as clean, but something changed as he transitioned into his spread eagle.  Phichit felt his heart pound within his chest as he watched Yuuri skate, moving out of his ina bauer, he seemed much calmer, and that triple axel of his was as beautiful as ever.  

 

Viktor was beaming with pride, fighting back tears as Yuuri landed the next three jumps, and moved onto the most entrancing step sequence to date.  Every fiber of his body screamed how much he loved Viktor, and the tears falling freely from Viktor’s eyes told Phichit that Viktor felt it deep down within his soul.  It was such a beautiful performance, even with the flubbed jumps, it was simply breathtaking, and Phichit couldn’t help but wonder how much more magnificent it would be when he skated it at the finals, with Viktor by his side.

 

“ _He did so good!_ ” Viktor wailed happily, _“I mean sure, he could have had better control on a lot of those jumps, and the coach part of me is reeling, but it was honestly so perfect, and I loved it, did you see that Phichit?  Did you?  How much he loves me?_ ”

 

Phichit let out a small laugh.  “Yes Viktor, I did.  It was breathtaking.  Oh… he’s third… He’s not going to medal…”

 

“ _Huh?  Oh right… the Canadian… it’s okay though.  Even without the medal he’ll still make it to the finals.  Crispino came in third at NHK so they'll have the same amount of points… but since Yuuri took second at the Cup of China he’ll be the one to advance._ ”

 

Phichit gasped, “Look who finally figured out qualifications!~ Congratulations!”

 

“ _I never realized it was on a point system until Axel, Lutz and Loop explained it._ ”

 

“Wait… Yuuko’s triplets?” Phichit bursted out laughing.  “You needed bunch of six year olds to explain ISU qualifications to you?”

 

“ _Shut up, I’ve never had to worry about it before you know?  Just win gold, you get in.  Simple. It’s not my fault they make it overly complicated._ ”

 

“Oh yes, _so_ simple.  Let me just jot that down… OH SHIT!  THIS MEANS I MADE IT!  I FUCKING MADE IT!!!! VIKTOR THIS IS HUGE!!!”  Phichit leapt out of his chair and ripped open the door to his room and screamed, “แม่! ผมทำได้แล้ว!”

 

“ _Congratulations!  We’ll get to hang out again in Barcelona._ ”

 

“Yes, yes!  It’ll be so fun!  Gah I can’t wait!” Phichit exclaimed as he flopped back down into his chair. “Too bad Guang-Hong and Leo won’t be there, but at least Christophe will… oh man, this is going to be so much fun!  By the way, when does Yuuri get back?”

 

“ _I’m not sure yet, hopefully soon, since he doesn’t have to stay for the exhibition now.  His phone is still off._ ”

 

“Oh right the exhibition… that’s good that he doesn’t have to stay for it, that way he’ll be able to make it home in time for his birthday.”

 

“ _His birthday…?_ ”  Viktor flinched as an incredulous look passed over Phichit’s face.  

 

Phichit remained silent, allowing Viktor a minute to rethink what was just said and figure out what the current date was, because if Viktor really forgot Yuuri’s birthday, Phichit would hop onto the next flight into Fukuoka and embed a knife shoe into Viktor’s face.  

 

“ _Oh no, today’s the twenty seventh isn’t it?  I completely forgot with the insanity these past few days…”_  Viktor frowned, “ _I had this whole thing planned in Moscow too… but now I’ll have to think of something else.  Thank you for reminding me Phichit.  I have to go talk to Mari.  Bye!_ ”

 

Without even waiting for a reply, Viktor had already ended the call and Phichit breathed a sigh of relief. Honestly, he really didn’t want to spend the eight hundred some odd dollars on a flight to Japan just to murder a Russian man especially since Yuuri wouldn't even be there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Tumblr post for IG pics](http://ishxallxgood.tumblr.com/post/157757397147/chapter-31-of-re-yuri-katsuki-instagram-pics-fic)
> 
>  
> 
> Translation:  
> แม่! ผมทำได้แล้ว! - Mom! I made it!  
>  
> 
> Okay UP NEXT BARCELONA!~ GET READY FOR SOME HARDCORE (no not SMUT but intense) CHULACOMETTI!~ <33333333


	32. Chapter 32

Phichit rolled over and violently grabbed the phone next to him. He didn't need to look at it to know who was messaging him. Honestly only one person would regularly message him out of sleep. Seriously, does the man never sleep? Sleep is great, it's wonderful, and Yuuri should be back by now, he should be spending all his time snuggling Yuuri, amongst other things, not messaging him in the middle of the fucking night. 

  


 

Phichit was speechless as he plopped back down onto the bed, the phone slipping from his hands. What could he possibly say to that declaration? It was the most raw and honest Viktor had ever been with him, and those feeling he had for Yuuri, they were truly something else. How had those two gone so far in life without each other? Sure, in a way Yuuri had always had Viktor. Viktor Nikiforov the skater, the living legend, the Goddess Nike, plastered all over his walls, on his pillow, in places Phichit did not even want to know about. Yuuri had wrapped his life around Viktor, breathed for Viktor, skated for Viktor, every single thing Yuuri did was to bring him one step closer to Viktor, and for the first time ever Phichit actually felt incredibly sad for Viktor. 

 

Viktor didn't have Yuuri the same way Yuuri had him. Before last year, Viktor probably never even really considered the existence of one Yuuri Katsuki. He didn’t know of the beauty and majesty that was Yuuri on the ice. He didn't know the warm, loving presence that was Yuuri as a friend. Viktor couldn't find solace in posters of the beautiful man’s face because before last year there weren't any. He had to live a whole life without ever knowing of the existence of such a perfect human being.  It was sad to know that Viktor had essentially gone twenty five years without knowing about Yuuri, while Yuuri had spent the past twelve years falling in love with Viktor.

 

It was okay though, because they had finally found each other.  This was going to be the wedding of the century, where two souls join perfectly into one, and Phichit was so happy that he could be at the center of it all. There was no place he'd rather be, than orchestrating the most beautiful union the world had ever known. Closing his eyes again he dreamed of silver and gold, pinkish purple hues blended magically with a full spectrum of blue. Of water and ice, fluid yet solid, cold and yet so tantalizingly warm.

 

When he woke up the next morning the first thing he did was give Yuuri a call, wishing his friend the happiest of birthdays, unsurprised that he didn't pick up. Viktor was probably busy with him, showering him with love and affection the only way he knew how, and Phichit suddenly felt a pang of guilt that his gift this year wouldn't come anywhere close to what Viktor had offer. How could anything he give Yuuri remotely compare to the real thing? Considering the fact that for the past five years, all his gifts had literally been Viktor Nikiforov paraphernalia, and now the actual Viktor Fucking Nikiforov was there, head over heels in love with Yuuri doting on him.

 

Giving pillow Yuuri a pat he found solace in the fact that with Yuuri, it was never really about the presents anyway, but rather the thought. Yuuri would never compare the two of them, he would just love and appreciate the fact that they had remembered him, and loved him enough to express that sentiment. Quite silly honestly, because who wouldn’t love and want to celebrate him?  The day that such a magnificent human being was brought into this world, was definitely something worth celebrating, even if Yuuri himself didn't think so. Phichit would just have to wait until Barcelona to give Yuuri a proper gift.

 

Barcelona was just as beautiful as he had imagined it would be, and after they settled their things into the room Phichit had received a message from Viktor that they had landed. Giddy, Phichit sent Yuuri a text, letting him know that he would be waiting at the bar for him so they could go see the Sagrada Familia together. Time slowly ticked away as Phichit fidgeted in the corner, watching as his coach ordered another Martini. Giving Yuuri another call he anxiously waited for his friend to pick up, giving up after the call went to voicemail for the third time in a row.

 

Calling out to his coach that he was going to head out alone, he received a nod before rushing out to explore the city. A slew of selfies in front the cathedral, and Phichit was actually bored.  It just wasn’t the same without Yuuri, or Leo, or Guang-Hong, or well anyone.  Sightseeing alone was honestly just sad, even though he had managed to capture some amazing selfies, he concluded that he needed more friends.

 

As Phichit solemnly made his way back toward the hotel, two women caught his attention, and he inched his way closer toward them, catching bits of Japanese here and there.  Excited, he approached them, grinning as he interrupted their conversation with a cheerful wave and called out, “Hello!~ You’re Mari Katsuki right?”

 

The woman with the blonde tips and headband, the one who bore a striking resemblance to Yuuri raised an eyebrow at him, and then acknowledged him with a slight tip of her head.

 

“It’s me, Phichit!~” He offered vibrating with excitement.  “Phichit Chulanot!”

 

She took a moment to look him over, the name finally sparking a recognition in her eyes before a small smile broke out across her face.  “Yuuri-kun’s roommate right?”

 

“Yes yes!  It’s so nice to finally be able to meet you!” Phichit was beaming, there was so much he wanted to say to her, so much he wanted to get off his chest, but it wasn't his place to say anything. “This is so exciting! I didn't realize you'd be here cheering Yuuri on! I mean it's not like it’s something that’s completely out of the question… it's just I've never run into you at a competition before… and he always said his family wasn't really that into figure skating.”

 

Mari smiled sheepishly at him, waving her hands for him to stop his rant. “No, no, no… you are right.  I’m just here to support Yuuri and Yurio. Minako here is the real skating fan.”

 

Phichit's eyes opened wide and he stared at the woman next to Mari. “ _ You're _ Minako-sensei!?” He exclaimed completely flabbergasted.

 

The woman threw her head back and laughed. “Is my appearance that surprising?”  She asked, amusement lacing her words.

 

Shaking his head no Phichit laughed softly as he tried to formulate words. “It's… it's just I always pictured you older you know?”

 

“Older?”  Minako asked taken aback.  “What has Yuuri been saying about me!?”

 

“No, no nothing bad.”  Phichit clarified, hoping he wasn’t getting Yuuri into trouble with his dance instructor. “ It’s just, I mean considering the fact that Yuuri's been going to your studio since he was a kid… I just assumed you’d be older.”

 

The offense melted from Minako’s face and she beamed back at him. “How old do I look to you?”

 

Phichit shrugged. “Not sure, you look like you can't be a day over twenty five, but considering Yuuri's twenty four, there's no way you won Benois de la Danse at like what?  Six? So I have no idea.”

 

Pulling him into a hug Minako let out a hearty laugh, “I like you. Yuuri should keep you forever.”

 

“He really should, after all the shit he and Viktor have put me through the past year.”

 

“Oh?  Gossip?  Do tell.”  The two women dragged him off to the nearest cafe, bombarding him with questions about Yuuri’s relationship with Viktor.  Phichit smiled nervously, filtering a lot of the conversations he had with Viktor as he tried to figure out how much to say without revealing too much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Tumblr Post of Pics](http://ishxallxgood.tumblr.com/post/157931713447/chapter-32-of-re-yuri-katsuki-instagram-pics-fic)
> 
>  
> 
> Gomen... I know I said ChulaCometti, but this was necessary... I promise, ChulaCometti in the next chapter. <3


	33. Chapter 33

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ChulaCometti!~ <333

Making one last loop around the ice, Phichit's gaze followed his two friends as Yuuri stepped off the ice.  Gliding past them Phichit caught the tail-end of their conversation and Yuuri’s demand for Viktor to take him sightseeing.  A playful smile crossed his lips as he skated over to where Christophe was just finishing up.

 

“Want to go on an adventure, Monsieur Giacometti?” He asked, flashing the Swiss man a devious grin before his eyes followed after Viktor and Yuuri as they passed through the curtain.

 

Christophe let out a chuckle as he followed Phichit off the ice.  “What did you have in mind?”

 

“You know… a little sightseeing, a little shopping, a whole lot of stalking…”

 

Phichit giggled like a schoolgirl as he rushed back down to the lobby, practically dragging Christophe along with him after meeting up with him outside his room. Phichit was impressed that the Swiss actually took his words, _take the world's shortest shower and meet me outside in ten_ _minutes_ , seriously.  Plopping himself down onto a nearby couch, he glanced anxiously at the elevators while trying to look natural.

 

“You don’t think they left already do you?” Christophe asked, running a hand through his still damp hair, the ding of the elevator drawing their attention. As they caught sight of Viktor and Yuuri exiting, they quickly looked away, suddenly engrossed in a conversation about the pattern of the floor tiles.

 

Phichit watched out of the corner of his eye as the pair passed by them, so absorbed with each other that they did not even notice the two of them sitting there suspiciously in the lobby.  “Okay, let’s go.” Phichit said, as Viktor held the door open for Yuuri, allowing the latter to pass through before following after him.

 

“So, how often do you do this?” Christophe asked, amused as they followed their friends from a safe distance.

 

“Do what?” Phichit asked innocently as he pulled out his powerful little point and shoot camera.

 

“Play paparazzi with your friends.”

 

Smirking at the tall Swiss man, Phichit gave him a wink before powering on the little camera and discreetly snapped a bunch of pictures of their two friends as they posed for a picture in front of Sagrada Familia.

 

“I mean, they’re already posing for the picture, I’m just doing them, and myself, a favor by documenting it.  Besides, why not take advantage of the wonderful optical zoom this baby has?” He replied, showing Christophe the slew of pictures he had just taken.

 

“Wow. Who knew they made such little cameras so powerful these days.” Christophe mused as he admired the impressive pictures.

 

“Oh don’t ever underestimate the  _ power _ of something wrapped in a  _ little _ package.” Phichit teased with another wink as he took the camera back, his fingers deliberately brushing Christophe’s.

 

Phichit eyed the involuntary shudder which passed through the older man due to his words and touch with a pleased smirk.  He had never realized how invigorating it was to elicit such reactions from someone, no wonder Viktor made it his job to tease the ever living shit out of Yuuri every chance he got.

 

Speaking of Viktor and Yuuri, he peeled his eyes away from the captivating Swiss and scanned the area, catching the pair as they entered a nearby restaurant. Phichit wondered why he was still stalking them as he settled down in a cafe across the square, eyeing the restaurant as Christophe took the seat across from him.

 

“Do you really think Viktor is actually serious about this?” Christophe asked, taking a sip from his coffee.

 

“About what?” Phichit asked utterly confused.

 

“Yuuri Katsuki.”

 

“Are you fucking kidding me?”  Phichit exclaimed incredulously.  “I don’t believe he’s ever been more serious about anything in his life.  How much does he tell you anyway?”

 

Christophe shrugged.  “Enough for me to know he’s infatuated with the man… I get all sorts of messages singing about the wonders that is one Yuuri Katsuki.”

 

Pulling out his phone and debating whether or not to show Christophe, ultimately deciding against it, Phichit let out a laugh.  “That would be putting it lightly.  Selfie?” He asked, shifting in his chair, angling the phone just right so he was able to capture both of them in the picture.  “Are you excited about tomorrow?”

 

“I’m excited to watch you skate in person again.” Christophe responded with a flirtatious wink.

 

“Such a charmer… the ice still your only love?”

 

Christophe was silent for a moment, and Phichit could see that spark cross his eyes before he reigned it back in.  “I'm in the market for a new lover, I think this is the last year the ice and I are going to tango.” He said with a heavy sigh.

 

Phichit found himself frowning at that response, and he could practically hear the unsaid words,  _ want to fill that role _ ? “You're thinking of retiring?”

 

“I'm an old man now, Phichit. I can't keep this up for much longer.” Christophe lamented.

 

“Now you sound like Viktor.” Phichit glanced toward the restaurant across the way as he took a bite of his food. “You'll be what? Twenty six come February? I hardly consider that old.”

 

“Oh, you're still young, twenty five is practically ancient... I can feel it in my bones.”

 

Rolling his eyes Phichit settled back in his chair. He was tired of all these talks of retirement from every skater he had admired since he started skating.  First Yuuri, then Viktor, and now Christophe.  “Such a shame, and here I thought we'd all have a big party next year in Korea for the Olympics.”

 

“Making plans for next year already?” Christophe asked suggestively, leaning in toward Phichit.

 

Letting out a laugh Phichit shook his head. “Perhaps, but let's not over analyze, don't go reading too deep into my words, baby.”

 

Christophe startled, and stared at Phichit with an unreadable expression as he processed the words he just heard. “Did you just call me  _ baby _ ?’

 

A wicked grin briefly crossed Phichit's face as he turned toward his companion, schooling his expression to neutrality before continuing with, “I'm sorry, do you prefer being called  _ daddy _ ? I mean, I don't normally like relinquishing control, but for you I could make an exception.”

 

Christophe let out a cough, and then proceeded to choke rather ungracefully on his drink. “Excuse moi?”

 

“C’est qui ton père?” Phichit said with a sly smile dangling off his lips, his eyes sparkling dangerously as they never left Christophe's.

 

“Oh mon dieu,” Christophe moaned, feigning a faint as he fell back into his chair, a hand dramatically draped across his forehead. “Aren't you the little devil with an angelic face..”

 

“Oh look, they're leaving the restaurant.” Phichit pointed out nonchalantly, changing the subject as if he hadn't just asked Christophe who his daddy was in French. Pulling out the necessary bills to cover lunch he slowly got up from his chair and held his hand out to the bewildered Swiss.

 

Eyeing him suspiciously Christophe took Phichit's hand, allowing the younger man to pull him to a stand. “Don't change the subject Chulanont. Don't think you can just distract me with Viktuuri, not after what you just said.”

 

“But Viktuuri's getting into a cab.” Phichit pressed, continuing to pretend nothing had been said. “We're gonna lose them.”

 

“I think I can live with that, if you can answer the question you just posed to me.”

 

“Oh, my dear Christophe, you already know the answer to that question.” He replied with a devious smile as he pulled out his phone and started tapping away.

 

“You know, you can just call me Chris, Christophe is such a mouthful don't you think?”

 

Looking up from his phone Phichit locked his eyes with Christophe again, his face maintaining a look of neutrality despite the smirk that was fighting to break through.  “Oh, but I rather like the feel of it in my mouth…” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so here's a note about the "who's your daddy" thing. It's not a direct translation... Or it is literally a direct translation. Thing is that term doesn't exist in French. So I decided to go with what I have because while I was googling "daddy" in French, this was a response in a reddit thread:
> 
>  
> 
> [–]HerrKrinkleL1 - Suisse 6 points 2 years ago  
> Actually, at least in Switzerland, you could say "c'est qui ton père !?". Grammatically incorrect, but that's on purpose. Also, probably not a good idea.
> 
>  
> 
> So I went with that because it was HILARIOUS. There's no real good translation for that, but since it's something that *could* be said in Switzerland, it makes it more precious that Phichit would say it that way.


	34. Chapter 34

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No instagram pics again... sorry <3

“Shit they went to Plaça Espanya… so far.” Phichit said frowning down at his phone. 

 

“How are you doing that?” Christophe asked leaning over Phichit's shoulder wrapping his arms around the small Thai man so he could lift the phone up.

 

“I'm pinging him.” Phichit explained, completely ignoring the weight of Christophe's body pressed against his. “I figured he never turned it off since Detroit and I was right!”

 

“Oh wow, look at that… you are a little stalker aren't you?”

 

Turning his head Phichit smirked at the man behind him, his face dangerously close. “I don't remember stuttering when I said we would be doing a whole lot of stalking. Jealous?”

 

Phichit could see the heat rise to Christophe's face as the man abruptly released him and pulled away, stammering to himself in French before regaining his composure. “Mon dieu, Phichit. I swear, one of these days you'll be the death of me.”

 

“It's possible. Wouldn't be the first time I made someone faint.”

 

“You are such a devious little devil.”

 

Phichit smiled innocently and turned toward the shops lining the street, an inexplicable desire to shop taking over him. “I'm in the market for a new pair of shoes, care to help me pick a pair, Monsieur Giacometti?”

 

“You had me at shoes.”

 

The two friends made their way toward the northern end of Passeig de Gràcia, dropping into the nearby shoe stores, searching for a specific pair of shoes Phichit could not quite articulate. As they made their way down the main street, Phichit's eyes grew wide as they passed by Jimmy Choo’s and a pair of divine booties called out to him and he simply knew he wouldn't be able to resist them. Following his gaze, a brilliant smile crossed Christophe’s face as he pulled the petite man into the store, his eyes shining with a hunger to see those shoes on Phichit’s feet.

 

Phichit swallowed hard as he practically devoured the pair of shoes with his eyes.  It was quite an internal struggle for him to talk himself down from even thinking of trying them on, as Yuuri’s scolding voice just kept resounding in his head screaming,  _ THERE ARE SO MANY OTHER THINGS YOU COULD BUY WITH NINE HUNDRED US DOLLARS _ . Of course inner Yuuri was right, there were so many other things one could buy with nine hundred US dollars, but none of those things were the most beautiful pair of fuckme Jimmy Choo booties he had seen in his meager twenty years of life. 

 

“You should give in.” Christophe whispered, completely shattering what was left of Phichit's resolve.

 

“Shopping with you is dangerous.” Phichit said as he grabbed the sales attendant and gestured toward the shoes, practically screaming his size.

 

Phichit eyed the Swiss man carefully as he slipped on the fuckmebooties, his feet singing as he came to a stand, the four inch heels accentuating his calves and ass perfectly.  Phichit was in heaven, it had been awhile since he last spoiled himself with such a wonderful pair of designer shoes, Yuuri’s frugality having rubbed off on him over the three and a half years they spent living together.

 

“You should never take those off.” 

 

Phichit didn’t even flinch as Christophe’s low velvety voice filtered into his ear, as he came up behind him, giving his ass a playful squeeze before pulling away again.

 

“Unfortunately I must, as much as I would love to waltz in these for the rest of the day, there is skating to be done tomorrow and I probably shouldn't strain my muscles the day before.” Reluctantly Phichit pulled off the shoes and sunk back into his well worn loafers.  “Goodbye dream shoes, see you at the banquet.”

 

“I swear to god Phichit, if you wear those at the banquet I might actually faint.”

 

Phichit smirked at the man standing behind him as he paid for the shoes, clutching the bag close to his chest.  “Then I’ll have to make sure there’s a fainting couch, because by the time I’m done with these, there will indeed be some fainting, especially by Viktor.”

 

“Oh do tell.” Christophe chirped, intrigued as he linked his arm with Phichit’s once they exited the store.

 

Phichit leaned into the taller man beside him, nudging him as he put a finger up to his lips and winked.  “It’s a surprise.”

 

“Have anyone ever told you you’re a tease?”

 

Letting out a dramatic gasp, Phichit dropped his hand down over his heart.  “Christophe Giacometti, I’m offended.” He chided in feigned offense. “God knows I would  _ never _ . Don’t you know, I’m the very definition of innocence, just ask Yuuri.”

 

Christophe let out a scoff, “I’m pretty sure you blackmailed him into saying that, which reminds me, did you ever show Viktor that album of  _ amatuer _ night, because I’m pretty sure that was the night he first fell in love with Yuuri… while he spun on a pole in Viktor cosplay.”

 

Phichit froze in his tracks, pulling Christophe to a halt.  “You  _ knew _ ?”  He asked slightly flustered.

 

Grinning at his little victory over Phichit, a spark crossed over Christophe’s eyes.  “I put two and two together when you got onto the pole in China.  Let’s just say you have a very memorable Oona spin.”

 

“Hm,” Phichit mused, closing his eyes as he rotated his wrist, his index and middle finger opened in a V with his thumb tucked in-between it, mimicking the Oona spin.  “My Oona is quite remarkable.”

 

“So,” Christophe asked as they continued on their way, slowly heading south down the Passeig de Gràcia, “where to now?”

 

Phichit shrugged as they casually walked down the street, pausing briefly to eye fuck the new Hermès collection before continuing on.  Crossing the street he suddenly stopped, and let out a delighted squeal before practically dragging Christophe into La Perla.  Once inside Phichit’s eyes darted all around the upscale lingerie store, his body practically vibrating with excitement.

 

“Putain, you really are trying to kill me.” Christophe moaned as Phichit’s eyes settled on a lace garter.

 

Slipping out of Christophe’s grasp, Phichit wandered over to where the garter was hanging, gingerly fingering the delicate piece as he bounced on his heels.  “What do you think?” He asked, beaming up at the tall blonde who had made his way over.

 

“I think you would look simply divine in lace.”

 

“Oh I’m sure I would...” Phichit purred, releasing the garter as he turned to face his companion. His eyes flickered dangerously as he traced his bottom lip with his tongue, smoothening out the front of Christophe’s coat before continuing. “But,” he said slowly dragging out the word before pausing dramatically as he watched Christophe suck in a breath. “I think I’d much rather wrap you in leather, throw a bit in your mouth and ride you until the sun comes up.”

 

Christophe stumbled backwards, knocking over the display behind him as his jaw dropped open.   “Mon dieu, tu es vraiment l'incarnation du diable.”

 

A small chuckle escaped Phichit as he turned back toward the garters, thumbing through them until he found the size he needed.  Pulling it off the rack he could see Christophe practically internally combust.  “Calm down  mon chéri, as much as you’re clearly  _ dying _ to see me in these, this is a present for Yuuri.  His birthday just passed, and I owe him something.”

 

Patting Christophe on the arm he meandered around the store, picking up the matching stockings and a pair of delightfully sinful panties.  Making his purchase, Phichit then pulled out his phone and refreshed the ping on Yuuri’s location.

 

“Hey, it looks like the lovebirds are close.”  He said as the stepped back out on the street, “Two blocks away by the Casa Batlló.”

 

Christophe blinked a couple of times, shaking his head to clear his thoughts before turning his attention back toward the devious little devil wrapped up in an angelic face.  “Phichit Chulanot, I swear, you will be the death of me.”

 

“I’m sorry,” Phichit replied innocently, “I wasn’t aware that you’d be this uncomfortable stalking our friends.  I suppose we could pull back a little, leave them alone for a while…”

 

“What?” Christophe gaped, “first off, we haven’t even been following them for the past two hours, secondly, you know this has absolutely nothing to do with Viktuuri you little shit.”

 

A playful smirk spread across the young Thai skater’s face, and he inclined his head toward the Casa Battló.  “Look, they’re taking off.  We’re going to miss them again.”

 

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Christophe allowed himself to be dragged the remainder of the block toward the wonderfully eccentric house.  “They left their nuts.” He noted, staring at the brown paper bag with a bright green sticker which read  _ Nuts _ on the front.

 

“Oooh, it’s the good stuff too.” Phichit exclaimed as he settled down on the bench, rummaging through the bag.

 

“Are you seriously just going to take their nuts?” Christophe asked, taking a seat next to Phichit, reaching across him to grab the bag from his hands.

 

“I suppose we could just return it to them, but then again, I would love the taste of nuts in my mouth right about now.”

  
A strangled choking noise escaped Christophe, and he excused himself as he tried to regain his composure, refusing to allow the devil incarnate to drag him down into hell with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation: _Mon dieu, tu es vraiment l'incarnation du diable_ = my god, you really are the devil incarnate
> 
> [THE SHOES PHICHIT BOUGHT](http://us.jimmychoo.com/en/women/shoes/dalal-100/black-cashmere-suede-ankle-booties-with-leather-strap-detail-DALAL100ZHZ000074.html) *drools*
> 
> [The garter](http://www.laperla.com/es/cfilpd0022951-nr0002.html) and [the stockings](http://www.laperla.com/es/cfilpd0022210-bl0060.html) and [the panties](http://www.laperla.com/es/cfilpd0022158-nr0002.html)
> 
> Yes, Phichit spent about $800USD on Yuuri.  
> I headcannon that Phichit comes from money. That his family is loaded, as most figure skaters come from money because it's a hella expensive sport. He learned to be cheap while living with Yuuri because Yuuri's cheap and doesn't have money the same way so Phichit tailored his shopping to match Yuuri's.
> 
> I promise we'll get to the dinner next chapter.
> 
> Edit:  
> ALSO... @asteRiesling is a darling and drew [Phichit in those wonderful booties](https://twitter.com/asteRiesling/status/841330078466301952) <333 I LOVE YOU


	35. Chapter 35

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah once again no Instagram pics, but then again they're all together, it would be pretty silly if they were texting each other.

Phichit sighed as he relaxed onto the massage table, turning his head to flash the Swiss man next to him a blissful smile. “Tell me this wasn't the best idea ever.”

 

“This was most definitely the best idea ever.” Christophe replied as the masseuse continued to work the oil into his back breaking up the knots embedded in his muscles. “Although it feels like a ploy for you to get me naked on a bed.”

 

Phichit let out a laugh. “Oh please, we both know that I wouldn't have to go through such extremes to get you naked on a bed…”

 

“Aren't you sure of yourself.”

 

“Hmmm… You're right,” Phichit mused with a cheeky grin, “you wouldn't be naked… it was leather we agreed upon, no?”

 

Christophe let out a cough, attempting to school his expression into one of neutrality, but Phichit was able to see through him, pleased that he was able to unravel _the_ Christophe Giacometti so easily.  “I was pretty sure it was you in lace.” The Swiss countered, once he regained his composure.

 

“Hmm,” Phichit hummed, “I could have sworn it was established that the lace was for Yuuri?”

 

“Ah yes, how could I forget?”

 

“It's a shame we lost them before I got a chance to give it to him though. I wanted to be there to see the look on Viktor's face.” Phichit said with a chuckle. “But then again, this is much better than running around Barcelona following those two around.”

 

Christophe hummed in agreement. “Yes, honestly after a while I swear they were just going around in circles… possibly looking for a bag of nuts _someone_ insisted on eating... I'm glad you finally suggested we go back to the hotel and get massages though.”

 

“Yes, I can't think of a better way to end such a wonderful day.”

 

“Oh, I can. Swing by my room after, I'll be more than happy to show you.” Christophe retorted with a flirtatious wink.

 

“Monseigneur Giacometti!” Phichit exclaimed in feigned offense. “You would at least need to buy me a nice dinner first! What kind of man do you take me for?”

 

Shaking his head Christophe chuckled softly to himself. “Phichit Chulanot, you're really something else.”

 

“I'm the thing dreams are made of, mon chéri.”

 

“That you are my little devil.”

 

Letting out a contented sigh, Phichit allowed his eyes to close as he relaxed into the masseuse's touch, allowing nimble fingers to work out the tight knots within his sore muscles.  He should do this more often, get massages before a major competition, perhaps he’d convince Yuuri to get one too, relax him a little.

 

“Oh, look.” Phichit said, handing Christophe his phone after the massages were over and they were showered and dressed. “Yuuri wants to meet up for dinner. Looks like you just might get that chance to buy me a nice dinner.”

 

The cab ride over to the restaurant was silent, awkward, the weight of Phichit's unspoken suggestion hung in the air. Sure, Phichit had been teasing Christophe for the better part of the day, unabashedly flirting with him, but now that the prospect of sex had been openly alluded to, both men were suddenly very uncomfortable with the idea.

 

On Phichit's end, he wasn't sure what to make of the situation. It was not like he’d never had meaningless sex with someone before, it was not like he had never had friendly fuck buddies before, but it was certainly the first time he didn't want something like sex to get in the way of an otherwise meaningful friendship. He could backtrack, pretend it was just a ill-timed joke, but then again he had no idea what Christophe wanted.  Meaningless sex?  More? Less? A deeper relationship? Just friendship with a whole lot of sexual innuendos? It was hurting Phichit’s brain to come up with an answer.  The only other person he had ever felt this sort of conviction for was Yuuri, and in Yuuri's case, it was clear from the beginning that it would be nothing more than the world’s most awesomely platonic relationship.

 

Yuuri was too fragile for best friends who had casual sex, Christophe on the other hand he was not sure, but would he be able to keep things from falling apart? Would he actually be able to have sex with Christophe and not ruin the man afterwards? Phichit wasn't sure. Would sex ruin everything? He wasn't ready for a real relationship, especially not since they were in the middle of the skating season. He really couldn't commit to anything right now, besides he was pretty sure the feelings he had for Christophe was nothing more than just a little crush.

 

Unfortunately he had an inkling that for Christophe, it held a deeper meaning.  A month ago, the first time they spoke, Christophe had admitted that he was actively seeking the Yuuri to his Viktor, and Phichit, well Phichit was just looking for a good fuck. It was a shame because he most definitely enjoyed Christophe’s company, he enjoyed their playful banter, the way conversation flowed, it was easy, nice, comfortable, like having a more confident playful Yuuri around again.  

 

Phichit let out a sigh as he glanced toward the man sitting next to him again, wondering what he could say to break this strange silence which had fallen upon them.  He didn’t like it, but he also couldn’t reciprocate the feelings he saw reflected in Christophe’s eyes. He wasn’t sure if he could be the Yuuri to Chris's Viktor or vice versa, because let’s be real here, he wasn’t the one who had been a blushing stuttering mess for most of the day. He was just Phichit, someone who was definitely not looking for _forevermore_ , someone who could only commit to _maybe_ . Sure he could give in, play loose, run like they had a date with destiny, but at the end of the day he knew, at least on his end, it was nothing more than a little crush.  Phichit certainly didn't want to be the one to _crush_ Christophe’s heart, with his nothing more than a little crush.

 

As they entered the restaurant, Phichit breathed a small sigh of relief when he realized it wasn't just dinner with Yuuri and Viktor. Minako and Mari were there too, so were Otabek Altin and the Russian Yuri Plisetsky. Waving to his friends he took a seat next to Yuuri, flashing him a bright smile before giving Viktor a nod and turning his attention over to Otabek.

 

“Otabear!” He exclaimed, garnering a nod from the stoic man. “Remind me to ask you for a favor later.”

 

Otabek gave him another curt nod, while the rest of the table stared at him questioningly.

 

“What?” Phichit asked, glancing over the menu.

 

“Otabear?” Yuuri voiced, asking the question on everyone's lips.

 

“What of it? It's a nickname… Like… Yu-… oh huh, I guess I don’t have a nickname for you… like Viktuuri?”  He said, lowering the menu and giving his friend a shrug.

 

Yuuri raised an eyebrow at Phichit. “Really? I guess I just didn't realize you guys knew each other.’

 

“Oh yea, we bonded at World's last year.”

 

This time it was Viktor who raised an eyebrow at him, the question _when did you find time to bond with Altin while you were busy fucking with my head,_ playing on his lips, but remaining unasked.

 

Phichit smirked at the older Russian with a knowing gleam in his eye. “I don't know why you're all so surprised, I do socialize you know.”

 

“Chicago was fun.” Otabek offered to the dismay of the smaller Russian by his side.

 

“Ha!  Right!?  So much fun.” Phichit added cryptically before glancing over the menu again, ignoring the glare he was receiving from the little Yuri.  “So we’re just doing tapas?  ORDER THE WHOLE MENU!~”

 

“Don't change the topic Chulanot!” Yuri Plisetsky growled, “what happened in Chicago!?”

 

Phichit let out a laugh at the little kitten's outburst, sharing a look with Otabek, a smirk breaking out over the Kazakhstani's face. “I'll tell you when you're older.” Phichit replied with a wink, causing the young skater to visibly tense, and Phichit could practically see his ears flatten, his back arch and his hair stand up on ends like an enraged cat.

 

“Sooo…” Christophe said, attempting the break the tension, “What did you kids do today?” He asked no one in particular.

 

Taking the bait, Viktor excitedly began to recount everything they did that day, while Phichit waved the waitress over and ordered one of everything off the menu.  

 

“... and then we took a break outside Casa Battló and Yuuri lost my nuts.”

 

A groan escaped Yuuri as he gave Viktor a pointed look.  “Can you _please_ drop the issue with the nuts already.”

 

Phichit ignored the look he knew he was getting from Christophe, and a devious smile broke out across his face.  “It’s a shame you misplaced those nuts Yuuri… I’m sure Viktor’s nuts would have tasted fantastic.  Can’t you imagine it?  Viktor’s nuts in your mouth.”

 

“PHICHIT!” Yuuri screeched, while the other Yuri choked on his drink, muttering to himself in Russian as he glared at Phichit.

 

“What?  I’m just saying, I bet they were gourmet nuts too… nothing but the best from Viktor amirite?”

 

Yuuri turned five different shades of red and tried to hide behind his glass as Viktor grinned next to him.  “Yuuri,” the older Russian purred, leaning in until his lips were practically touching Yuuri’s ear, “Phichit’s right you know, my nuts would have tasted amazing, nothing but the best.”

 

“That reminds me,” Phichit said as he helped himself to some of the paella that had just been delivered to their table.  “Christophe and I spotted you guys outside the Casa Battló earlier this afternoon, and we were on our way over to say hi when you guys took off… we did come across a delightful bag of nuts left on the bench though, and I do have to say, they were delicious.”

 

“To think,” Christophe added, grinning as he gave Phichit a wink, “I had the pleasure of having Viktor’s nuts in my mouth again.”

 

“Oh my god, _why do you guys have to be so gross_.” Yuri groaned, dropping his fork onto his plate.  “Some of us are trying to eat here.”

 

“Hmm?” Phichit hummed, offering the young skater an innocent smile, “what’s wrong Yuri?  We’re talking about actual nuts here, like from a tree, not everything in life is an innuendo little one.”

 

A strangled noise escaped the teenager as he fought the urge to leap across the table and stab Phichit in the eye with a fork, Otabek cracking a smile as he held the angry little kitten back.

 

“Wait,” Yuuri said, a seriousness in his tone that dispelled the tension in the air.  “You’re telling me I spent three hours, THREE FUCKING HOURS, running around Barcelona with Viktor breathing down my neck for losing a bag of nuts when _you two actually ate them_!?”

 

Batting his eyes innocently at Yuuri Phichit fought back a laugh, “oh but Yuuri, how would I have possibly known where you were to return them to you?”

 

Pulling out his phone Yuuri unlocked it, tapping violently at the screen before thrusting the device in Phichit’s face.  “Because you were literally pinging me every ten minutes!”

 

“Oh right… that.” Phichit said sheepishly, scratching at the back of his head.  “I didn’t realize you knew what was going on.”

 

“Phichit, the thing buzzes every time you ping me.”

 

“Heh,” He chuckled, putting down his fork before turning to face Yuuri properly.  “What can I say?  I  couldn’t resist the urge to put Viktor’s nuts in my mouth… once in a lifetime opportunity you know.”

 

Yuuri gaped at him, but before he could formulate a response, Viktor piped in with, “not really, I’d be delighted to put my nuts in your mouth, all you have to do is ask.”

 

“Oh my god _REALLY_!?” Yuri shrieked, totally appalled. “WHY AM I EVEN HERE!?”

  
“Where else would you rather be?” Otabek asked, and Phichit smirked as the angry little Russian suddenly stilled and relaxed back into his chair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're lucky, and I'm inspired, you might get a one-shot on Chicago. xD


	36. Chapter 36

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long. I hate working within the canonverse.
> 
> On to other news, I want to thank [asteRiesling](http://archiveofourown.org/users/asteRiesling) for this wonderful fan art!!! <333 thank you thank you I LOVE YOU  
> [ChulaCometti!~](https://twitter.com/asteRiesling/status/839076853079916544)  
> [Phichit in those glorious shoes!~](https://twitter.com/asteRiesling/status/841330078466301952)

“Oh this reminds me!” Phichit suddenly exclaimed peeling the skin off of a piece of shrimp. “I got you a birthday present!”

Christophe looked over at Phichit curiously. “How does deshelling crustaceans remind you of the birthday present?”

“Who knows.” Phichit replied with a shrug as he squeezed some lemon onto the shrimp before turning to give Christope a mischievous grin. “Oh look my shrimp is naked.”

Viktor raised an eyebrow at Phichit and Yuuri gave Phichit a pointed look. “What did you get me? Should I be concerned?”

“Concerned? No.” Phichit answered casually, before popping the shrimp in his mouth, chewing thoughtfully. “It’s just a little something from La Perla.” He added after swallowing.

“La Perla?” Yuuri questioned, clearly confused as Viktor started choking on his drink next to him. “I’m afraid I’m not familiar with that store.”

Phichit fought the smirk threatening to escape onto his lips. “Oh? I’m sure you’ll be quite intimate with the brand in no time.” Turning to face Viktor, Phichit felt the smirk pull at his lips as he gave the Russian a wink.

The cough which had almost subsided on Viktor’s end came back with a vengeance and Yuuri desperately wanted Phichit to stop talking as he patted Viktor on the back.

“La Perla eh?” Minako said, drawing Yuuri’s attention away from the Russian struggling to breathe as she took another sip of her beer. “That’s quite an interesting choice.”

“Phichit…” Yuuri said with a hint of warning.

“Yuuri…” Phichit mimicked, with a playful smile, suddenly stilling as he shifted in his seat to squint behind Viktor. “Oh, Yuri, little Yuri, don’t make any sudden movements, just slowly lift your hood over your hair, and duck down a little… I spy angels.”

Yuri let out a low growl as he followed Phichit’s direction, tucking his hair into his hood as he sunk down into his chair, masking his presence behind Otabek. “Stupid shitty stalker fans.” He mumbled.

“Oh?” Christophe crooned. “I for one enjoy my fans, they are always so fun, coming up with the most delightful things.”

Phichit nodded in agreement. “Yea, me too, my fans are the best.”

“That’s because you have normal fans.” Yuuri muttered, mindlessly moving the food around on his plate. “I’m with Yurio on this one. Creepy stalker fans are the worst. Remember that one fan who created the fake Twitter account and got it verified just to fuck with us?”

“How could I ever forget. Worst experience ever.” Phichit replied dropping his eyes. “Sorry about that Yuuri.”

“It’s alright, you couldn’t have possibly known. What a trip that was...”

“I’m really confused.” Viktor said, looking over the two men. “Why would your fan have to get the account verified?”

The two friends suddenly fell silent, a blush creeping across Yuuri’s face when he realized that he had been so caught up in the moment with Phichit that he had forgotten their present company. Something that happens quite often when they start talking. Phichit for his part laughed nervously, suddenly very engrossed with the rice on him plate.

“Oh? Keeping secrets now are we.” Christophe teased, and Phichit just let out another nervous laugh.

“Yuuri’s fans be cray cray.” Phichit finally offered, before shoving his mouth full of food so he wouldn’t have to elaborate.

Shooting Phichit a desperate look Yuuri let out a sigh, steeling himself for the explanation. “It’s not secret I’m a Viktor Nikiforov fan…” He started, earning him a scoff from the younger Russian, and he dropped his gaze down to his hands, ignoring the amused chuckle which escaped Viktor. “A few years ago, some crazy fan made a fake Twitter account… using Viktor’s name,” He paused his eyes flicking over toward Viktor before dropping back down, “and somehow got it verified… I think it was back before Twitter was as insanely popular as it is now…”

“Oh…” Viktor breathed, shooting Phichit a knowing glance, to which the Thai skater smiled weakly back in response. “That explains a lot…”

“Well… she managed to get a hold of Phichit using that account, because it was no secret that Phichit and I were both rinks mates and roommates and overall bff’s.” Yuuri continued and Phichit nodded in agreement, raising his glass to the definition of their relationship. “Anyway, she asked Phichit a bunch of random shit and in the excitement of it all we probably gave up way too much personal information and then when it was revealed that she was a fake I was pretty upset about the whole thing.”

“So… what you’re saying is…” Yuri said, trying to fight back his laughter, “you had a fan pretend to be that moron to get to you? Fucking priceless.”

“I guess it’s kind of funny now, in hindsight.” Yuuri said taking a sip of his drink. “So Viktor, what’s the craziest thing a fan did to you?”

“Hmm,” Viktor mused, tapping his chin with a finger. “There was this one time a fan got crazy drunk and started grinding up against me half naked, begging me to be his coach.”

The fork Phichit was bringing to his mouth slipped from his fingers, clattering onto the table spraying food all over his lap. Phichit honestly couldn’t even bring himself to care, the laugh tearing through him as Christophe giggled softly next to him. Little Yuri’s eyes opened wide in shock and disgust, and he mumbled a string of incoherent Russian as he glared at Viktor while Yuuri gaped at him, stunned for a moment, before allowing himself to laugh alongside everyone else. 

It certainly wasn’t the reaction Viktor had been expecting when he gave his answer, that much Phichit could tell. Viktor had been trying to get a rise out of Yuuri, only Viktor still didn’t know Yuuri didn’t know, and Phichit for one, was not about to be the person to spill the beans. Nudging Christophe in the side Phichit shot him a don’t say anything look before continuing to stare in Viktor and Yuuri’s direction.

When his laugh subsided, Yuuri let out a contented sigh. “This is kind of weird huh?” He said tentatively. “I mean, all of us hanging out together like this before the competition. It’s a lot different from last year. I was always on my own then, at the banquet too. I didn’t even have the courage to talk to Viktor.”

And then, there it was, out in the open. Phichit wanted to smirk at Viktor’s reaction, but he kept his cool, the smirk finally escaping him when Christophe offered clarification, and Yuuri flustered immediately. It wasn’t until Christophe mentioned the pole when it finally clicked in Phichit’s head why he had suggested Yuuri pole dance back in China. For some reason he had simply assumed it had to do with Amateur Night but then again, Yuuri had been in costume, and it would have been impossible for them to have pieced the two together, but it was all he had to work with.

“I still have videos if you want to see…”

Phichit blinked back at Viktor, video eh? Evidently Viktor had been holding out on him, then again, he had a shitton of pictures and videos he had been holding out on Viktor. One of these days they would have to get together so they could swap Yuuri Katsuki content. When Christophe offered his phone for pictures, Phichit jumped at the chance to see them, so engrossed with swiping through the pictures of Yuuri half naked on a pole that it took him a second to register what Christophe just said.

Relinquishing control of Christophe’s phone back to him, the gears in Phichit’s head started turning. Rings, they were wearing rings. Matching rings. In Barcelona. Flashes of the latest conversation he had with Viktor passed before his eyes. My Yuri proposed to me today. Maybe he wasn’t kidding, or reading into things that weren’t there. Sure, Viktor had said that he was going to buy Yuuri a ring, but then why does he have a matching one? And then it hit him. There was only one logical conclusion.

“CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR MARRIAGE!” Phichit exclaimed, clapping wildly, his eyes shining with excitement. Cupping his hands to his mouth he turned to face the rest of the restaurant. “EVERYBODY!” He shouted with enthusiasm, “MY GOOD FRIEND HERE JUST GOT MARRIED!~ WHOOOO!!!”

Somewhere above all the cheering Phichit heard Yuuri’s ridiculous declarations that they were nothing more than good luck charms, a thank you present or sorts, something about layers. So they didn’t get married. All the better, Phichit would have been quite disappointed if they had and he wasn’t invited, it was better this way, more time to plan a proper wedding.

Everyone stilled at Viktor’s declaration of the engagement, Phichit fought with himself not to facepalm again, because really Viktor, really? Did he not consider the present company? Did the fact that almost everyone would be vying for that gold, elude him? Silly Viktor, but honestly the thing Phichit was more focused on was the fact that Yuuri had not rebutted that declaration. Smiling to himself Phichit couldn’t wait to get back to give Yuuri his present.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're nearing the end of the adventure, thank you for coming on this wild ride with me... but don't worry... there's still story to tell... loose ends to tie up... ships to sail... ;D


	37. Chapter 37

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this too so long, I got stuck at the end.
> 
> We're good now. :)

“Happy birthday Yuuri!” Phichit exclaimed, holding out the bag as Yuuri opened the room door, Viktor hovering closely behind him. 

 

“Um, thanks?” Yuuri replied, taking the bag from Phichit, who rocked on his feet expectantly, holding Yuuri’s gaze.  “Do you want to come in?” He offered tentatively. 

 

“If you insist.” Phichit said with a wink, pushing past Yuuri as if he hadn’t been begging his friend to offer with his eyes.  Plopping down onto the bed Phichit grinned madly as Christophe, who can come with him to _'drop off the present_ ,’ let himself into the room too, leaning up against the wall, eyes following Yuuri’s every move. 

 

Yuuri let out an exasperated sigh as he shuffled back into the room, Viktor moving in sync with him, practically pawing at the bag. “Did you want me to open this now?”

 

“YES PLEASE!” All three men exclaimed at the same time, startling Yuuri.

 

“Why do I have a bad feeling about this?” Yuuri asked, as he sifted through the tissue paper and pulled out the garter and panties.  Phichit and Christophe watched in anticipation as Yuuri looked over the garments, Viktor gasping approvingly in delight.

 

“Phichit…” Yuuri’s brows were knitted as he started at the two pieces, turning them around in his hands before looking over at his friend.  “Did you just-”

  
  
“YES!” Phichit exclaimed jumping to his feet, “you should put it on… consider it a birthday present for Viktor too!”

 

“WHAT!?” Yuuri screamed dropping the bag, “I couldn’t possibly do that Phichit!”

 

Phichit stilled, something was off, something was definitely off.  This was by far not the reaction he was expecting from Yuuri.  There was no blush, no flustering, no nothing really. It was quite a lackluster response, in fact, Viktor was having more of a reaction than Yuuri, blushing insanely as he clutched at his heart, declaring that had forgotten how to breathe.  “Do you not like it?” Phichit asked apprehensively.

 

“Oh no, no, no, nothing like that… it’s…” Yuuri’s face flushed, _finally,_ Phichit thought.  “I like it, I really do… it’s just… did you really just buy me a pair of _three hundred dollar_ underwear?”

 

Oh.

 

 _OH_.

 

How could he have forgotten. “Oh come on Yuuri, it’s just money…” Phichit moaned. “And... just look how excited Viktor is about it!” He said gesturing toward the man flopping around on the floor like a dying fish.

 

Yuuri let out a sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose with his free hand.  “Phichit… it’s not _just_ money, it’s...” He paused, looking over the tags attached to the two garments, picking through the bag to pull out the stockings, his eyes opening wide was the numbers ran through his head.  “SEVEN HUNDRED AND SEVENTY THREE EUROS!?  PHICHIT!  DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT YOU COULD GET FOR SEVEN HUNDRED AND SEVENTY THREE EUROS!?”

 

“Your birthday present?” Phichit offered, trying very hard not to laugh.

 

“You should see the shoes he bought himself.” Christophe laughed, pushing himself off the wall to check on the flailing Viktor on the floor.

 

“Shhhhh Chris,” Phichit hissed, “Don’t tell him about the shoes…”

 

“You know I can hear you guys right?” Yuuri mumbled, putting the pieces down on the bed before taking a seat.  “Thank you by the way,” he said, meeting Phichit's eyes, “I really appreciate it.”

 

“Don’t mention it.” Phichit replied with a wink, flopping down next to Yuuri. “Just send me a selfie.”

 

“Phichit!” Yuuri exclaimed hitting his friend on the arm playfully.  “You of all people should know that a selfie wouldn't do that justice, I’ll just have Viktor take a picture.”

 

From the floor they could hear Viktor making strangled choking noises and the two friends just laughed.

 

“So, how are you feeling about tomorrow?” Phichit asked folding his arms behind his head.

 

“Okay, I guess.  I mean I could be worse.  What about you?”

 

“Me?” Phichit asked turning to face Yuuri.  “You know me. I’m doing great actually.  It’s going to be so much fun tomorrow.  I can’t wait.”

 

“I don’t know how you do it.” Yuuri admitted, looking down at his hands.  “I mean, you’re always so confident… like the pressure doesn’t affect you.”

 

“Well… that’s probably because there is no pressure.”

 

Yuuri gaped at his friend.  “What do you mean there’s no pressure!?  It’s the Grand Prix Finals!”

 

“Well yes, it is, but... I know where I stand in all this.  I mean I’m up against you, mini Yuri, JJ, Christophe, Otabear… my only quad is the toe loop, I don’t stand a chance against you monsters.”  Phichit sat up and put a hand against Yuuri’s lips when he opened his mouth to protest.  “Stop.  Whatever you’re about to say, don’t.  I’m not saying that I’m not going to give it my all tomorrow, I will, I will skate like my life depended on it because Thailand deserves nothing less of me.  What I’m saying is, with no past accomplishments to defend, this is a new beginning for me… how can I be anything but excited!?”

 

Phichit’s enthusiasm disarmed Yuuri, even Viktor and Christophe paused in their shenanigans to glance over at him.  His words striking a chord deep within all three skaters.  “Oh Phichit!” Yuuri finally said, breaking the reverent silence.  “What can I do to get just a fraction of your zeal?”

 

Phichit only laughed and came to a stand, ruffling Yuuri’s hair as he continued to chuckle softly to himself.  “Come on Christophe,” He said, helping the Swiss man to his feet.  “Let’s get out of here so Yuuri can give his man a proper show. Just remember boys, Yuuri still has to skate tomorrow… Eros was it?”

 

Phichit was vibrating with excitement the next day as they skated around the rink during warm-ups. This was it, the cumulation of everything he had worked toward for the past five years. He had finally made it, put Thailand on the map as the first Thai to make it to the Grand Prix Finals. Nothing was going to bring him down.

 

Yuuri's routine was as beautiful as ever, despite the touched landing of the quad flip, but Phichit knew that it was eating Yuuri away inside. Yuuri  seemed to only be able to focus on the negative aspects of his performances, and it broke Phichit to know that his friend failed to see the majesty in his own skating. Letting out a sigh, Phichit pushed those thoughts from his mind as he took the ice. Yuuri had Viktor, he would be able to recover from something like this, besides this moment right now, it was for Phichit and Phichit alone.

 

When the first notes of the song started, a new wave of excitement coursed through his veins, and a brilliant smile crossed his lips. Phichit allowed the music to consume him, and delivered a masterful performance, will all the heart and soul of Thailand. It was the start of a beautiful story, one that would not end for years to come. Next year, next year when he returned for the finals, he'd come back with a vengeance and perhaps even show, maybe even place, it would be wonderful to win, but he was willing to take it one step at a time.

 

When his scores flashed upon the screens, Phichit was over the moon.  Ninety five point seven three.  It was the best score he had ever received.  Ever. It was proof that this year was most definitely the start of something beautiful, and nothing could possibly bring him down.

 

Or so he thought.  Because the way his heart caught in his throat when he got up from the bench and caught of glimpse of some guy giving Christophe a chaste kiss after releasing him from an embrace brought Phichit crashing back down to earth.  For some inexplicable reason he felt as if he had just been sucker punched in the gut, and kicked repeatedly when he was down. It made absolutely no logical sense, because why should it? It wasn't like he _liked_ Christophe like that, right? It was just a crush, light flirting, okay who was he kidding, heavy flirting, but it wasn't like he had been expecting anything to come of it. Maybe a hookup, but even that thought had been fleeting because honestly he was enjoying what they had, and he had been afraid that something like sex would overly complicate things.

 

Phichit found his eyes following the pair as stepped off and slowly made his way over toward the heavy curtain dividing the rink from the holding area. A storm was brewing inside of him and he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was. These emotions were certainly new, and if he were to be honest with himself he'd even say he was jealous, but of what? The intimacy Christophe had with _that guy_? What kind of foolishness was that? It was not like he had a claim to Christophe, but then why? Why did he feel this inexplicable urge to just pummel that guy’s face into the ground?

  
Swallowing his emotions, Phichit turned and put on a big smile. “Christophe,” he called out, whipping out his phone, “pre-skate good luck selfie?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next, "let's end this"


	38. Chapter 38

Phichit glared at his phone as he ordered another glass of sangria, the words on the screen unchanging, revealing everything and nothing at the same time.

 

 

A low growl escaped him as he hit the power button and shoved the phone back into his pocket, gulping down the sangria that was just set before him.  Stupid Christophe and his stupid, whatever the fuck he was.  If Viktor didn’t know who he was, that would probably mean he wasn’t family, or anyone important. Surely Viktor would have recognized anyone significant in Christophe’s life, they’re friends right? Then again this person was clearly _significant_ enough to have a place next to Christophe at the kiss and cry.

 

Phichit wanted to scream.  Instead, he opted for another sangria, silently stewing as he attempted to sort out his emotions.  He hated it.  Feeling this way, it was exhausting.  Why did he care so much anyway.  It was just a crush right?  Just a crush. Just a crush. Just a crush.

 

“You alright?”

 

Yuuri’s sister’s voice startled him out of his mantra.  Whipping around Phichit flashed her a smile and nodded.  “I’m great.”

 

“You’re a horrible liar.”  She said, taking a sip out of her beer.  “Worse than Yuuri.”

 

Phichit let out an exaggerated gasp.  “Lies.  No one is worse than Yuuri…”

 

She scoffed and gave him a slight tilt of head.  “Fine, you have a point there.  What’s wrong?”

 

“I don’t know.” Phichit admitted, taking a long drought from his drink.  “I mean I _think_ I’m getting feelings for someone, and it’s honestly confusing me.”

 

“Hmm… why?”

 

“Why what?”

 

“Why is it confusing you?”

 

Phichit shrugged.  “I don’t know, I guess because it makes me feel oddly exposed you know?  Like I’m losing control over my own emotions… I never lose control… it’s weird, and I don’t like it.”

 

“Oh.” Mari crinkled her nose and took another drink from her beer. “I think when it comes to falling in love, we should just go with the flow. It's easier that way, although yes, the harder you fall the more it can hurt, but sometimes I think it's worth it.”

 

“Who said I was falling in love?” Phichit asked, downing the rest of the drink.

 

“You did.” She replied with a smirk.

 

Phichit was about to counter again, but the door to the bar suddenly slammed open and a very disheveled Viktor Nikiforov, dressed in nothing but a hotel bathrobe and slippers came stumbling in.  Minako looked up from her conversation with Celestino, glancing toward the commotion and gasped.  Phichit, Mari, Minako and Celestino all exchanged knowing looks, each one of them coming to an understanding at once and they all moaned, “fucking Yuuri,” in unison.

 

They didn’t need to say a word to each other, it was blatantly obvious to each and every one of them that the _only_ reason Viktor would be barging into a bar looking like _that_ was because Yuuri probably did something incredibly stupid.  Like break up with him or something.

 

“Alright, we got this.” Minako said coming to a stand.  “Phichit you take care of… that.” She said gesturing toward Viktor vaguely with her hand, “Mari and I are on Yuuri damage control.”

 

Nodding Phichit tossed back the remainder of his drink and clapped Celestino on the shoulders.  “See you tomorrow coach, this should be an interesting night.”

 

“Phiiiiiichi!~” Viktor wailed, falling against him once Mari and Minako took their leave, gently patting Viktor on his back as they passed.  “Yuuri… my Yuuri… he… he...”

 

Letting out a sigh Phichit consoling Viktor the best he could before convincing the bartender to sell him a bottle of unopened vodka. “Whatever Yuuri said, I’m sure he didn’t mean it…”

 

“PHICHIT!” Viktor’s eyes were blown wide open when he lifted his head off Phichit’s shoulders and stared at him.  The man was frantic, borderline hysterical.  “Phichit… Yuuri… Yuuri… Yuuri…”

 

“Calm down Viktor… let’s get you back to the hotel, I got a bottle and all night.”

 

Releasing Phichit from his death grip, Viktor dropped his gaze and reluctantly followed him out of the bar.  Phichit kicked himself for not realizing how bad Yuuri’s state of mind was after his performance earlier that evening.  He had known the moment he saw Yuuri touched down on that flip that something inside of his friend had snapped.  Phichit didn’t get a chance to catch Yuuri’s reaction at the kiss and cry, which was unfortunate because if he had, perhaps he could have done something to prevent, well _this_ .  He knew that the fact that Yuuri finished fourth would be eating away at him, and watching JJ self destruct similar to the way he did last year certainly couldn’t of helped.  Phichit was worried, because whatever Yuuri said to Viktor must have been serious, he had never in his life seen Viktor Nikiforov _this_ frazzled.

 

When they finally made it up to his room, Phichit sat Viktor down on the couch and unscrewed the top to the vodka, handing the bottle over before pulling out his phone.

 

 

“So want to tell me what’s going on?”  Phichit asked, taking a seat next to Viktor.

 

“Yuuri… asked to end things.”  Viktor choked out before taking a long drought from the bottle.

 

“He what now?”

 

“Let’s end this.” Viktor mumbled, taking another drink.  “After the finals, let’s end this.”  He repeated, tears falling from his eyes.

 

“Oh.” A moment of respite passed between them before Phichit grabbed the bottle and took a swig.  “What exactly is he ending?”

 

Looking up from his hands Viktor twisted the piece of metal around his fourth right finger before taking the bottle back.  “He’s retiring Phichit… he asked me to return to skating and then stated that he was retiring.”

 

“Oh.”  Well that certainly made a lot of sense.  A lot more sense that the alternative.  Honestly, Phichit should have seen something like this coming.  “I see.”

 

“You see!?”  The emotion in Viktor’s voice bordered on angry.

 

Phichit turned to face Viktor, a frown pulling at his lips.  “Remember what I told you at World’s last year?  Well earlier this year?”

 

Viktor dropped his head again, a strangled “yes” escaping him.

 

“Okay well, it was a half truth.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

Relieving Viktor of the bottle again Phichit took another drink before handing it back to Viktor.  “At that point in time, he had already been thinking of retiring.  I believe I told you he was taking a break… because he had lost his passion… and you know what?  For a moment in that time he did… you have no idea Viktor, it was the most heartbreaking thing to see… Yuuri skating a break up dance with the ice. But then something changed… he had found his love for the ice again.  Remember that video I sent you… of him at practice?”

 

“You mean the fifteen seconds of him skating to Stammi Vicino?”

 

“Yes that.  Yuuri had lost his passion, he was so defeated after last year’s finals… but then he started skating your routine… Viktor this thing you guys have… you being his coach, you creating these programs for him… it was everything he had ever wanted in life, but there’s something you should know.”  Taking a deep breath Phichit offered Viktor a small smile.  “Yuuri had always looked up to you.  Surely you know that by now.  Yuuri had always, and I mean _always_ found his inspiration from your skating.  You effectively ending your career for his, well I’m not surprised that he thinks _this_ is the solution.”

 

Viktor blinked back at Phichit, the tears still relentlessly falling, the bottle of vodka raised to his lips, but not tilted back.  “Oh.”

 

“Honestly, if you want him to _not_ retire, going back to the ice would probably do it…” Phichit paused, “but then again, it’s not like you can skate and coach at the same time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Tumblr post for Instagram pics](http://ishxallxgood.tumblr.com/post/158733071697/instagram-pictures-for-chapter-38-of-re-yuri)
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> Also, if you want to know what Phicht's room looks like and why Chris clarified the room number... [here.](https://www.oyster.com/barcelona/hotels/hotel-barcelona-princess/photos/princess-suite/) Viktuuri is evidently staying in a standard room... also, they didn't push the beds together, they're just like that. xD


	39. Chapter 39

“Skate and coach at the same time huh…?” There was a spark in Viktor's despondent eyes, as if Phichit had just told him what the answer to life, the universe, and everything was; even though we all know the answer is forty two.

 

“Viktor… I was just kidding. You couldn't possibly…”

 

“But Phichit! I could!” His eyes were shining now, all semblance of his previous pain washed away. “Oh Phichit! Like you always say… I'm Viktor _ Fucking _ Nikiforov! If anyone can do it it's me! Can you imagine-”

 

A knock on the door stopped Viktor from finishing his thought and Phichit chuckled softly to himself as he stood to go answer it.

 

“Who's at the door?”

 

“Christophe.” Phichit replied as casually as he could, crossing the room to open it. “I figured you could use some clothes.”  Viktor looked down at his state of dress, a frown crossing his face, as Phichit pulled open the door.

 

“Phichit, mon petit démon.”  Christophe said with a wink as he held out the neatly fold pile of clothes to him.

 

Fighting his urge to roll his eyes at the Swiss, Phichit swiftly took the clothes offered by the man, mumbled a quiet thanks and attempted to close the door.

 

“Mon chéri, you're not going to invite me in?” Christophe lamented with feigned offense, “how rude.”

 

“Fine,” Phichit exhaled. “Come in if you want.”

 

“Hello Chris.” Viktor called from the couch, giving the perplexed Swiss a cheerful wave.

 

Tossing the clothes at Viktor Phichit turned to face Christophe. “The two idiots got into a fight and I figured Viktor could use some clothes… mine would have looked ridiculous on him.”

 

“Oh.” Christophe said, accepting the explanation with a hint of disappointment. “And here I thought you wanted my clothes for you.”

 

Unable to stop himself, Phichit rolled his eyes and scoffed. “Why would  _ I _ want to put on _your_ clothes?”

 

Christophe simply blinked back at Phichit, confusion written all over his face by the hostility he was receiving, before shaking if off as he took a look around the room and let out a low whistle.  “Princess suite?”  He asked, attempting to break the tension in the room.

 

Unwilling to take the bait, Phichit just let out another scoff and deposited himself back onto the couch as Viktor excused himself and went into the bathroom.  Once the door clicked shut Phichit’s attention snapped back to Christophe, as he tried to formulate a question with as little venom as humanly possible.

 

“Did I do something to offend you, lapinou?”

 

Sucking in a deep breath Phichit pondered that question.   _ Did _ Christophe do anything to offend him?  Maybe?  If so, what?  Flirting? Was flirting a crime?  _ Yes, if he already had someone _ . Right. Because if he already had someone, then what would that make him? A side piece? Expendable? That irrational jealousy once again bubbled to the surface again. “Who's that guy?”

 

“Excuse me?”

 

“The guy… by the rink, at the kiss and cry.”

 

“Oh. You mean Jean-Philippe.”

 

Phichit narrowed his eyes at the man before him, his displeasure with the answer clearly written all over his face. The word  _ elaborate _ didn't need to be said because Christophe swallowed nervously, before continuing.

 

“He's a friend… Swiss ice dancer actually.”

 

“Really? Wow, that explains everything.” Phichit replied, his words dripping with sarcasm as he took a swig of vodka. Practice tomorrow was going to be brutal, at least he had a day to recover before the free skate.

 

Running a hand through his hair, Christophe let out a sigh before taking a seat on the couch. “I'm sorry lapinou, I suppose I owe you an explana-

 

“Stop. Just stop. First off, stop calling me that, I'm not a fucking bunny. Secondly, there's nothing to explain.” Phichit was annoyed, stupid  _ feelings _ getting the better of him. Where the heck was Viktor anyway? It does not take that long to pull on a t-shirt and a pair of sweats.

 

“Look, I'm sorry, okay. I should have considered how you would read the situation… and I'm not going to deny the fact that I've had some sort of relationship with Jean-Philippe, but it's nothing serious. Never was. Just something to pass the time you know?”

 

Phichit found himself scoffing again, he can't remember the last time he scoffed this much at, well, anything. “If that's what helps you sleep at night, feel free to keep telling yourself that.”

 

“Is this about the flirting?  I’m sorry, I thought you were having just as much fun as I was.”

 

“Fun?” Phichit all by spat, “Get the fuck out.”

 

“Phichit wait, I’m very confused.” Christophe confessed.  “Is this about Jean-Philippe?  

 

“No.” He lied.  This had everything to do with this so called Jean-Philippe and his _relationship_ with Christophe.  Coming to a stand, Phichit stormed over to the door and ripped it open.  “Get out.” He growled.

 

“Phichit, can we please talk about this?”

 

Phichit had half a mind to drop kick Christophe in the jugular and drop him off the balcony, but the man had a point. They probably should talk about this. Wasn't that what he always told Yuuri and Viktor, that they should communicate more? “Fine.” He grumbled, releasing the door handle and flopping back down onto the couch, bottle of vodka back in his hands.

 

Apprehensively Christophe took a seat next to him, nervously glancing in his direction as he tried to work out what he wanted to say. “What is upsetting you, mon chéri?”

 

“You.”

 

Christophe chuckled at his honesty, “Okay, what about me?”

 

“I don't know everything.”

 

“That's not very helpful, lapinou.”

 

Letting out a sigh Phichit put down the bottle after taking another swig. “I don't know… everything is just so confusing and I think I'm getting _feelings_ for you or something… and I don't understand them because I mean we don't even really know each other that well… and it's entirely possible that I'm jealous of your relationship with Jean-Philippe, even though I'm pretty sure it's completely illogical...”

 

“Ah," Leaning back into the couch Christophe let out a deep sigh. “I do believe I understand that sentiment.  Did you know, for the past month I've been insanely jealous of Yuuri?”

 

“Yuuri?” Phichit asked sitting up in surprise. “Why Yuuri, of all people.”

 

Christophe closed his eyes and let out an amused chuckle. “I suppose for the same reasons why you’re having such intense emotions over my relationship with Jean-Philippe.”

 

“Wait what? That doesn't even make any sense. Yuuri and I have never-”

 

“You know, lapinou,” Christophe said, straightening up and turning to face Phichit as he cut him off. “Not everything in life is about sex.”

 

"What do you mean?" Phichit asked, more confused than ever.

 

“There are more ways than one to be intimate with someone. Sure, sex is everyone's first thought, but you and Yuuri… you two communicate telepathically for crying out loud.”

 

Phichit blinked blankly back at Christophe, unsure of where he was going with this.

 

“I’ve never had a connection like that with anyone before.  It’s like I’m surrounded by people, but no one really understands me.” Christophe let out a deep sigh.  “Seeing the bond the two of you had… it made me long for someone like that in my life you know?”

 

“Oh.” Well that certainly explained a lot, but not everything.

 

“It's not just that.” Christophe admitted after a long pause. “Believe it or not, I've been chasing Viktor around for the past ten years, hoping that one day I'd be able to capture his heart. For the most part I knew that was an impossibility. It was clear that Viktor's heart belonged to the ice, and because of that, I had resolved myself to the ice too… can you imagine what it felt like to have Yuuri waltz in, drunk off his ass, and literally sweep Viktor off his feet?  Like the rest of the world I had thought it was just a fluke, that it was nothing more than just one drunken night… you have no idea how hard it was for me in China to see them together.”

 

Phichit let out a small chuckle.  “I have a slight idea.  Want to hear a secret, one I never told anyone before?”  Not waiting for Christophe’s response to his rhetorical question he continued, “I used to have the biggest crush on Yuuri… I say used to like it’s not there anymore, it kinda is… lowkey… but there.  Anyway, when I first met Yuuri, I was thunderstruck by him.  He was so… perfect.  I mean I guess it didn’t help that the first time I met him he was skating… Viktor’s routine actually… he was so beautiful, so flawless and sixteen year old me fell desperately in love.”

 

“Wow.  How did you move past that?”

 

Grabbing the bottle off the floor again, Phichit took another drink.  “Honestly?  I moved in with him.  It took about a whole three seconds to realize that he was so far gone on Viktor that he would  _ never _ reciprocate my feelings so I decided to shift gears instead and be the best friend he would ever have in life.”

 

Christophe nodded in understanding.  “May I ask you a question?”

 

“Sure.”

 

“Do you think it would be possible…” Christophe paused, running his hands through his hair before dropping them down onto his lap.  “... would it be okay for me to be your Yuuri?”

 

“No.” Phichit replied bluntly, fighting the smirk threatening to cross his lips when Christophe was taken aback by disappointment.

 

“No?”

 

“No." He repeated with more force.  "I already have a Yuuri. One ball of uncontrollable anxiety is good enough for me.” The smirk fought its way onto his lips as he settled back into the couch, drawing his legs up and folding them neatly beneath him. “Besides, I would never in a million years dream of having sex with Yuuri… if anything, I’d like for you to be my Christophe.”

 

“Mon dieu, you really are going to be the death of me one of these days.”

 

“Not gonna lie though,” Phichit said, lifting the bottle to his lips again, “the idea that you have a past with Jean-Philippe still bothers me a little.”

 

“Why should it, lapinou?  I’ve had a past with a numerous amount of people, as I’m sure you do too.”

 

“True…” Phichit resigned with a sigh, “but it’s not like I invite them to come sit with me at the kiss and cry.”

  
“Oh my god.” Christophe exclaimed, suddenly laughing.  “Is  _ this _ what it’s really about?  Oh mon chéri, he’s there because he helped choreograph my programs.”


	40. Chapter 40

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank [xyzkitty](http://archiveofourown.org/users/xyzkitty/pseuds/xyzkitty) for the first few lines of this chapter...

“I honestly don’t know if I should feel better or worse about that.” Phichit said with a pout.  “Have you  _ seen _ your routines!?”

 

Christophe couldn’t stop his laughter.  “Oh mon chéri, I already told you we’ve had a past… somewhat of a present… it’s just meaningless sex… you know, something to pass the time with, have some fun, feel less lonely.  Besides, it’s not like you haven’t had any past lovers, not with that mouth of yours.”

 

Phichit let out an exasperated sigh.  “Yes, but it’s not like I keep in contact with most of them, it’s not like I go around having them choreograph my skating routines.”

 

“Oh lapinou, such ungrounded jealousy.”  Christophe said ruffling Phichit’s hair.  “Where’s that little devil from yesterday?”

 

Phichit rolled his eyes at Christophe as he swiped to unlock his phone which had been buzzing uncontrollably in his pocket this whole time.  “SHIT!” He cursed as he clicked onto his RSS feed.  “Fucking fuckity fuck.”

 

Raising an eyebrow Christophe watched as Phichit continued to curse up a storm, pounding on the bathroom door, screaming for Viktor to put that bathrobe back on.  “What’s going on lapinou?” He asked, when Phichit finished screaming and the bathroom door opened, revealing an equally confused Viktor.  

 

Shoving his phone into Viktor’s face, Phichit mumbled a few more profanities before pushing his way into the bathroom and grabbing the two bathrobes sitting neatly on the lower shelf of the vanity.

 

“Take off your clothes and put that on.” Phichit said tossing Christophe one of the two bathrobes as he pulled his shirt off over his head.  “We’re on damage control.”

 

“Come again?”  Christophe asked in confusion, but obliging the little Thai man as he stripped off his clothes and tugged on the plush bathrobe.

 

“CHRIS!~” Viktor wailed, shoving the phone into Christophe’s face.  “Look at this… I look like an absolute mess!”

 

Phichit giggled as pulled down his pants, stumbling as he shook them off.  He wasn’t sure if he would go with  _ absolute mess _ because, evidently a hysterical Viktor Nikiforov wandering the streets of Barcelona in a nothing but a hotel bathrobe still looked fucking fabulous.  Unfortunately his distress could be seen, even though he still looked flawless, it was evident that he was upset.  Pulling on the bathrobe, he pulled the slippers from their home in the wall closet and tossed a pair at Christophe.

 

“I’m confused how is this going to help?”  Christophe asked as Phichit pulled his wallet out of his pants and shoved it into his pocket.  

 

“Don’t question it, just roll with it.” Phichit replied, taking another drink of vodka before handing the bottle over to Viktor who gleefully finished it.

 

Phichit honestly had no idea what was going on as they stumbled out onto the street. There may or may not have been more alcohol involved, but between the three glasses of sangria he inhaled before they met up with Viktor and the half a bottle of vodka he consumed with Viktor, Phichit was surprised he even remembered his own name.  The night passed in a blur, and at some point he ended up on Viktor’s back as they ran along the beach.  That did not last long, as Viktor subsequently dropped him, or they both tumbled together, into the sea, because the next thing he knew the tide was coming up and he was met with a face full of Mediterranean Sea.

 

“You two are a hot mess.” Christophe laughed as he helped Phichit to his feet, fishing his phone out of his pocket. “You're lucky you handed that over so I could take pictures earlier. I can't imagine you without a working phone for a day or two.”

 

“Oh my God! Thank you Christophe!” Phichit squealed, launching himself at the Swiss, wrapping his arms and legs around the man.

 

“Look at you two!” Viktor exclaimed, prying the phone out of Christophe’s hand and taking a flurry of pictures. “Adorable. Be gentle with him Phichit… Chris talks a big game but is quite sensitive once you get him going.”

 

“Viktor!”

 

“What?” Viktor replied, his eyes glazed over from the alcohol as he swayed slightly with the wind. “Just thought he'd like some warning… we wouldn't want a repeat of-”

 

Phichit didn't know it was possible but a deep blush crossed over Christophe's face as he released the Thai man and tackled Viktor to the ground. “We swore we would never speak of that night again!”

 

“Wait…” Phichit said as he approached the two men now wrestling on the sand. “You two…”

 

“Have history!~” Viktor provided cheerfully, the smile fading as Phichit merely gaped at them. “Is that a problem?” A sobering look passed across Viktor's face, and a mild panic swept across his flawless features. “You don't think that would be a problem do you? Oh God… you don't think  _ Yuuri _ will think that would be a problem do you!?”

 

“Uhhh…” Phichit shrugged. “I don't  _ think _ so? I mean I'm pretty sure Yuuri already knows you've had a past with a lot of people… so it shouldn't be?”

 

“Oh God… what am I going to do?” Viktor wailed.

 

“Mon chéri, I'm sure Yuuri won't think it's a problem.”

 

“But… but… what if he does!?” Viktor was borderline hysterical again. “I mean he thinks your relationship with Jean-Philippe is a problem!”

 

Phichit pursed his lips as Viktor called him out on his irrational jealousy, and unfortunately the man had a point. He did think that Christophe's relationship with Jean-Philippe was problematic, but he evidently did not have a problem his Viktor's history with Christophe. “Well…” he finally offered, “if it makes you feel any better,  _ I _ don't have a problem with your history with Christophe.”

 

“I know!” Christophe said getting up and dusting as much sand off of himself as he could before extending a hand to Viktor. “Let's go ask him.”

 

They must have been a lot more drunk than they realized because the next thing they knew, they were relentlessly pounding on Yuuri's door.

 

It seemed like an eternity had passed before Yuuri finally opened the door, rubbing at his eyes sleepily. “What the…” he managed to get out before Viktor threw himself onto the sleepy Japanese man.

 

“Yuuuuuuuri!~” Viktor purred, rubbing his face against the side of Yuuri's neck. “I have to ask you something, but promise me you won't get mad.”

 

Yuuri looked helplessly from the Russian in his arms to his best friend who was laughing nervously as he let himself into the room, followed closely by Christophe Giacometti. “What's going on? How drunk are you guys? Why are you guys soaked and sandy?”

 

“Oh, Viktor dropped me in the sea.” Phichit offered with a giggle, like it was the most normal thing ever as he shrugged out of the damp bathrobe. “I'm just gonna borrow your bathroom for a second…”

 

“Oh no you don't,” Christophe said pulling him back out of the bathroom. “You are so not pulling the ' _ oh let me just use the bathroom” _ and disappear for the next twenty minutes trick. If I have to be here for this so do you.”

 

“Ugh.” Phichit groaned, pulling the extra bathrobe out of the bathroom and shrugging it on.  “Fiiiiiiine.”

 

“Seriously what's going on?” Yuuri asked trying to pry Viktor off of himself. “It's like three in the morning and Viktor please get off of me, you're soaking through my shirt.”

 

“Yuuuuuri!~” Viktor whined, nuzzling Yuuri again, “are you okay with the fact that Chris and I used to fuck.”

 

Yuuri responded by sputtering indignantly as he forcefully pushed Viktor off of him and held him out at arm's length.  “WHAT!?”

 

“Wow.” Phichit mused, quietly to Christophe, catching the glare Yuuri shot at him. “I thought he’d ask that with more tact…”

 

“Oh mon dieu…” Christophe moaned behind Phichit, trying to make himself seem smaller than he was.  “I think Yuuri’s going to kill me.”

 

“I mean he for sure ain’t gonna kill his fiancé…”

 

“Not helping…”

 

“Yuuri!”  Viktor cried, as the Japanese man’s glare settled on him instead.  “You promised you wouldn’t get mad.”

 

Dropping his arms Yuuri pinched the bridge of his nose before letting out a low growl.  Turning from Viktor, he crossed the room to rummage through his things before violently ripping off his shirt and putting on a fresh one.  “I never promised that…”

 

An involuntary shudder passed through Phichit as he caught the tone in Yuuri’s voice.  Letting out a deep breath he discreetly nudged Christophe toward the door.  “He’s pissed…”

 

“No shit.”

 

“YUUUUURI!~” Viktor wailed, stripping off the soaked bathrobe and flinging himself onto Yuuri again.  “I knew it… you have a problem with this don’t you?”

 

“I… I...” Yuuri stammered, his expression softening as the naked Russian pressed himself upon him, and Phichit tried to stifle his giggles.

 

“Oh come on Yuuri!” Phichit screamed, drawing his attention. “You and I both know that you don't have a problem with that… I mean come on now… it's Christophe  _ Fucking _ Giacometti. You're seriously going to tell me you've never fantasized about him!? Christophe Fucking Giacometti.”

 

“Phichit!” Yuuri screeched, as Viktor wrapped himself more tightly around Yuuri. “I… I… never…”

 

Phichit let out a hearty laugh, stumbling backwards into Christophe. “Right, right, because  _ Viktor's _ the only one for you, right?  Don't worry Chris,” Phichit said with a wicked grin as he turned to face him, “I've had enough fantasies for the both of us.”

 

“Oh Mon dieu… mon petit démon.”

 

Giving the Swiss a wink Phichit turned his attention back to Viktor and Yuuri, the Russian desperately trying to convince Yuuri that it didn't mean anything, just mindless sex, but every word was just digging himself deeper in a hole Phichit wasn't sure he would be able to claw out of that night. Deciding to throw the man a bone, Phichit crossed the room and perched himself onto the desk across the bed. “Just think about it this way Yuuri,” he offered, drawing his best friend away from Viktor's failed attempts of soothing Yuuri's insecurities. “I'm okay with the fact that they've fucked.  Me.  Phichit Chulanont, commander of the Yuuri protection squad... am okay with this.”

 

“Phichit.” Yuuri said again, letting out an exasperated sigh. “I'm not actually upset about this… I just wish he would shut the fuck up about it already!”

 

“Oh right right… because we've already spent years speculating about it…”

 

“Phichit, you're not helping. Can you maybe just take Christophe and leave?”

  
“Oh okay.” Leaping off the desk Phichit gave his friend a bright smile before pulling Christophe out of the room. “Well that went over better than expected.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Keep in mind, Phichit and Viktor are pretty drunk in this chapter... :)


	41. Chapter 41

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this took so long. Had an intense bout of writer's block and this chapter REALLY didn't want to be written for a very long time. But it's here! YAY!
> 
> Hope it was worth the wait, I think it was.

Phichit woke up to his phone playing _Shall We Skate_ at an obnoxiously loud volume, confused and slightly terrified, until he realized that he was still quite drunk. Letting out a yawn he pawed at his phone, struggling under the added weight across his chest as he tried to roll over and turn off his alarm. Groaning, he shoved the arm off of him before shutting off the song, briefly wondering if he should give Celestino a call and forego their run this morning.

 

Successfully silencing the song he quickly checked the thousands of notifications he had amassed, giggling to himself as he scrolled through the posts from the night before. His damage control plan had gone swimmingly, as social media had quickly forgotten distressed Viktor, as their drunken escapades were now trending.

 

“Ah, lapinou, it's too early for this.” Christophe moaned from next to him, swatting the phone out of his hands before pulling him back against him. “Instagram can wait, go back to sleep.”

 

“Instagram waits for no one!” Phichit declared with a giggle, letting out another yawn as he picked up the phone again, silencing the alarm that had once again started blaring. “Ugh I have to go on a run with Ciao Ciao in an hour.”

 

“Just tell him you were training all night and you'll just meet him at the rink for practice.” Christophe said through a yawn. “It's what I told Josef.”

 

Another giggle escaped Phichit as he lowered the phone slightly to catch the older man's eye. “Heh, training all night long… let's train some more now!” He exclaimed, trying to wriggle free.

 

“Are you still drunk?”

 

Phichit snorted ungracefully before falling against Christophe, his phone abandoned as another fit of giggles escaped him. “Me drunk? Puhleese. I'm as sober as they come.”

 

“Sure you are lapinou.” Christophe mumbled through a yawn.

 

“Awww… too tired to keep up old man?” Phichit teased, grabbing his phone again, holding it out as he leaned his head onto Christophe's shoulder, snapping a picture. “Look at us,” he said bringing the phone closer to their faces, “so fucking beautiful. Should I hashtag it _training all night_?”

 

“Oh mon dieu,” Christophe groaned, “what am I going to do with you, mon lapinou démoniaque.”

 

“I have an idea… it involves some leather, lace and a bit I believe.”

 

When Phichit awoke again, Christophe was gone, and he briefly wondered if it was all an alcohol induced dream, but the text he had received assured him it wasn't. Rolling out of bed he quickly got ready, hoping Celestino wouldn't be upset that he actually blew off their run earlier this morning.

 

“Ciao ciao, Phichit. Sleep well?”

 

“Ugh.” Phichit moaned, polishing off another bottle of water. “Sleep was great… this hangover on the other hand… I feel like someone hit the slow motion button.”

 

“Ah, to he expected. How is Viktor holding up?” Celestino asked, taking the skate guards from Phichit.

 

“As well as can be expected. He was fine by the end of the night, then again not sure if it was him or the vodka talking by then…”

 

Celestino nodded as Phichit pushed off from the boards, making a few rounds around the ice before working on a few jumps. Phichit sighed, the ice singing beneath as he continued to skate, noting the absence of his best friend. By the time the practice session was over, Yuuri was still nowhere in sight and Phichit prayed that the man wasn't actually serious about retiring.

 

Slipping the skate guards on Phichit fell into step with his coach as they exited the area, hands finding his phone in his pocket.

 

“How's our Yuuri doing?”

 

“That is a good question, Ciao Ciao. I should ask.” Tapping out a quick message to Yuuri, Phichit continued to scroll through the pictures from last night, laughing at the video Christophe uploaded of him and Viktor eating sand and a mouthful of Mediterranean Sea. “Oh my God… that reminds me… Ciao Ciao, did you know Viktor and Christophe used to fuck?”

 

His coach did not even bat an eye at that revelation, and only chuckled softly to himself shaking his head. “I was not aware I needed to know.”

 

“Oh I suppose you didn't… but did you know that _that_ was exactly how Viktor told Yuuri last night?” Phichit let out an uncontrollable laugh. “Fuck Ciao Ciao, you should have seen his face! I swear he was gonna rip off Christophe's head.”

 

“Oh mon dieu, who would have thought our precious, beautiful, innocent, little Yuuri could throw such shade.” Christophe said snaking an arm around Phichit's shoulders.

 

“Ciao ciao, Signore Giacometti.” Celestino said with a wave of his hand. “Thank you for taking care of Phichit last night.”

 

“Oh, you're more than welcome,” Christophe replied with a wink, “the pleasure was all mine.”

 

Phichit chuckled as they continued to make their way toward the locker rooms, tapping away on his phone, ignoring the weight of Christophe's arm around his shoulder.  “Oh, Christophe, can you do me a favor and steal Viktor for a while, I need to talk to Yuuri alone.”

 

“Sure, mon chéri, I'm sure I can think of something to distract him with.”

 

“So Phichit, what’s up?” Yuuri asked as Phichit slammed his head onto the table, groaning.

 

“Yuuuuuuri…” Phichit whined, his face still plastered against the table.  “I think I’m in love.”

 

Yuuri couldn’t help the laugh which escaped him, throwing his head back as he nearly fell out of his chair.

 

“This isn’t funny, Yuuri.  I’m serious.”

 

“Oh my god, really!?”  Yuuri asked wiping the tears from his eyes, “Phichit _I’m never going to have a real relationship_ Chulanont is in love?”

 

“I think so?” Phichit said lifting his head slightly.  “I mean, your sister seemed to think so… and honestly I can’t make sense of these feelings… it’s all so weird and oh my God Yuuri, I GOT JEALOUS!  Like crazy person jealous… Like Yuuri when someone dares to look at his 2004 limited edition Viktor Nikiforov poster too long jealous…”

 

“Wow.”  Sitting up in his chair, Yuuri leaned forward and addressed his friend seriously.  “So… who exactly are you jealous of?”

 

“Jean-motherfucking-Philippe.”  Phichit spat, slamming his head back down onto the table.

 

“Who?”

 

“Ugh, Christophe’s _choreographer_.” He mumbled into the table, raising his hands the air quote the word choreographer.

 

“Wait, you think you’re in love with _Christophe_?”

 

Phichit chuckled at the incredulousness in Yuuri’s voice.  “Yea.”  Lifting himself off the table he slumped back into his chair as the waitress came by and put down their drinks and appetizers.  “Who would have thought.”

 

“When did this happen?” Yuuri asked, taking a sip of his coffee.

 

“I want to say during the Trophée de France?” Fishing out his phone he swiped through his conversation with Christophe until he found what he was looking for and passed his phone over to Yuuri.

 

He watched as Yuuri quickly scanned over the conversation, his eyebrow raising a couple of times before he handed the phone back.  “You named two out of three hamsters after me?  I’m flattered Phichit.”

 

“What?” Phichit exclaimed, “ _that’s_ your takeaway!?”

 

Yuuri’s lips curled into a smirk before he took another drink of his coffee, as Phichit continued to gape at him.  “Of course not. Obviously you fell in love the moment _he_ suggested a ship name.  ChulaCometti.” A chuckle escaped him as he put down the cup.  “Chula-fucking-Cometti.”

 

“I think it’s cute.” Phichit said defensively.

 

“Of course you do.” Yuuri settled back into his chair, running his hand through his hair as his eyes focused on Phichit again.  “Anyway, so what’s the problem? With this Jean-Philippe?”

 

Phichit let out a long sigh, draining his latte before turning his attention to Yuuri.  “I don’t know… everything?  Nothing?  I mean it’s not like Christophe and I actually _have_ a relationship or anything… just a lot of shameless flirting… oh my god Yuuri… do you even know how many times I managed to get him Yuuri red?”

 

“Why am I your scale for everything?”

 

“Who knows,” Phichit said with a shrug, before continuing.  “You know he told me a bunch of deeply personal shit the first time I met him, it was weird.  Back in China… after he tried to get a rise out of you by insinuating that you were keeping Viktor to yourself… I guess I was giving him the evil eye or something for trying to get inside your head… HA you showed him… anyway... at the end of it, he told me he that he ‘ _longed for his own Yuuri Katsuki_.’”

 

Yuuri scrunched his nose as he tried to make sense of those words.  “What?” He finally asked in disbelief.

 

“Huh, I probably should have clarified that eh?” Phichit said sheepishly as he nibbled on a piece of bread.  “Okay, so evidently, and I quote ‘ _the only love he’d ever known was on the ice, and he felt as if Viktor leaving the ice for you was a personal attack on him, and it made him long for his own Yuuri Kastuki_.’”

 

“Oh, okay, well that makes a lot more sense.  Because really, I mean who would _want_ a volatile ball of anxiety.”

 

“Right!?  That’s exactly what I told him!”  Phichit chirped with a smirk before stuffing his mouth full of tartar.

 

“What the hell is that supposed to mean!?  You’re not supposed to agree with me!” Yuuri exclaimed furrowing his brows.

 

Swallowing his food Phichit took a long drink of water before giving Yuuri a smile.  “You know I’m just fucking with you, but to answer your question, Viktor _Fucking_ Nikiforov.”

 

A bright smile broke out across Yuuri’s face, “Oh Phichit, you know the way to my heart.”

 

“Katsudon?”

 

“Heh,” Yuuri swatted playfully at him, “But this still doesn’t explain the whole Jean-Philippe thing.”

 

“Oh yea, well that… so ugh, the past month, Christophe has been shamelessly flirting with me. I mean don’t get me wrong, I’ve been getting him good too, and it’s so fun, you have no idea Yuuri.  He’s so incredible, and easy to talk to… it’s like when we get to talking, it feels like we’ve known each other forever, like I’m talking to... well you.”

 

“Okay so how does the choreographer factor into all this?” Yuuri pressed, because Phichit was clearly skirting around the topic.

 

Letting out a sigh Phichit had half a mind to slam his head back onto the table.  “He kissed him Yuuri.  Right before the short.  And to top things off, he was there, next to him at the kiss and cry.  Yuuri, I was so fucking angry, like I never _knew_ I could get jealous.  It was horrible, the worst feeling in the world… I felt _betrayed_.”

 

“Did you talk to Chris about all this?”

 

“Well sure, I actually screamed at him, threw a tantrum, drank half a bottle of vodka… it was great.” Phichit groaned.  “I was such a mess last night.”

 

Yuuri nodded, shooting Phichit a grateful look thanking him for not bringing up the other half of the night.  “Okay, so what did Chris say?”

 

“That it was a just something to ‘ _pass the time_ ’ with.  Ugh.”

 

“Hmm,” Yuuri hummed pensively.  “So is that what’s bothering you?  I mean do you feel like _you’re_ also someone he’s using to ‘ _pass the time_ ’ with?”

 

“That’s just it.” Phichit admitted, mindlessly moving his food around.  “I don’t know.”

 

“Okay, well the way I see it, Chris is going out of his way to seek you out.  We’ve been here for what?  Three days now?”

 

Phichit nodded.

 

“And tell me, how many days have you spent with Chris?”

 

“Three.”

 

“And in that whole time, how often was he with Jean-Philippe?”

 

“Just that one time at the rink…” Phichit saw where Yuuri was going with this.  He really did, but it wasn’t making him feel much better about the whole situation.  So what if Christophe chose to hang out with him exclusively since they’ve been here?  It’s not like he didn’t used to hang out with Viktor like that in the past, in fact, he obviously hung out with Viktor whenever they met up during competitions, _amateur night_ was testiment to that.

 

Then it hit him. Christophe had admitted to chasing Viktor with the intent of one day capturing his heart, and now those efforts had been shifted toward him.  Maybe Yuuri did have a point.  “But he _kissed_ him.” He groaned, willing that image out of his head.

 

“Maybe it’s a European thing.” Yuuri offered, even though he really sounded like he was now grasping at straws.

 

Phichit suddenly shot up, a hand curling around his chin as his pointer finger tapped his lips.  “Maybe it is… I mean… dude… _Viktor_ kissed me the first time we-”

 

“VIKTOR DID WHAT!?” Yuuri all but screeched.

 

“Oh did I not tell you?” Phichit purred, omitting the fact that Viktor had kissed him because he had given him the location to the Yuuri dakimakuras.

 

“PHICHIT YOU FUCKING LITTLE SHIT CHULANONT YOU MOST CERTAINLY DID NOT TELL ME THAT YOU KISSED _THE_ VIKTOR NIKIFOROV THE FIRST TIME YOU MET HIM.”  Yuuri screamed, causing nearby diners to cast them awkward looks.

 

Apologizing to the people around them for his friend’s outburst, Phichit caught sight of Viktor and Christophe trying to hide in a far corner and a wicked thought crossed his mind.  “Oh Yuuri, Yuuri, Yuuri.   _I_ did not kiss _the_ Viktor Nikiforov.   _The_ Viktor Nikiforov kissed _me_.”

 

“I’m failing to see the difference here.” Yuuri deadpanned with a glare.

 

“Okay here, let me explain.” Phichit said as he got up from his seat and relocated to the chair next to Yuuri, tossing the two men in the corner a wink before grabbing Yuuri’s face and kissed him.

 

Yuuri violently jerked back away from Phichit, sputtering incoherently before screaming, “Phichit!  What the fuck man!?”

 

A sly smile crossed his lips.  “My explanation.  See, Viktor kissed me.  I didn’t kiss him.  Like how I just kissed Yuuri. Yuuri didn’t kiss me.”

 

Yuuri rolled his eyes at his friend, a smirk slowly crossing his lips as Phichit pulled out his phone which was now dinging uncontrollably.  “Let me guess, Viktor’s behind us.”

 

  
Holding his phone out in front of them, Phichit returned Yuuri’s smirk and leaned in with a wink, “Selfie?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, we're like three chapters away from the end... I think three, maybe four. But we're definitely at the end.
> 
> Thanks for all the support and love you've given this. Maybe I'll pick 365 Days back up after this, or start a Phichuuri College Extravaganza. Who knows. <3
> 
>  
> 
> _Mon lapinou démoniaque = my demonic little bunny_
> 
>  
> 
> Tumblr post of IG pictures [here](http://ishxallxgood.tumblr.com/post/159282607587/re-yuri-katsuki-chapter-41-instagram-pictures)


	42. Bonus Chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was never supposed to happen. 
> 
> This is also not a real chapter. I mean it's a real chapter, but it's not. 
> 
> It's Viktor's POV of what happened at the end of 41. The reason why this became it's own chapter was because what happened in this chapter was _supposed_ to have been mentioned in the real chapter 42, but the actual chapter did not go according to plan and ran away from me and this got omitted. 
> 
> What happened here is not relevant to the actual story at all, which is why this is not a real chapter. It's just fun. And I'm sure you'll love it anyway.

“Chris!~ Come on! We're going to lose them!” Viktor exclaimed as he dragged Christophe out of the hotel, frantically looking around.

 

“Mom chéri, you act like there are no other ways of tracking them down.” Christophe replied as he calmly followed after his overly dramatic friend. “Besides, do you not trust the little bunny with your fiancé?”

 

Viktor stilled,  _ fiancé _ . Right. It wasn't that he didn't trust them, besides, it was Phichit, and Yuuri, what was there to not trust? He just really didn't like the idea of not having Yuuri within his sights. The night before had been rough, there were too many emotions flowing through him. His Yuuri had wanted to end things, what exactly he wasn't sure. Their coach-student relationship? Their engagement? Viktor didn't want to think about it. Thankfully Yuuri had conceded to deciding after the finals, perhaps this was what he was talking to Phichit about now. Viktor needed to know. 

 

“I trust them.” Viktor finally offered when it became evident that Christophe was still waiting for a response.

 

“I'm sure you do, mon chéri.”

 

The sarcasm in Christophe's voice was not lost to him, and he playfully shoved his friend. “But look, Chris. You made me lose them.”

 

“Do you have no faith in me, mon chéri?” Christophe asked brandishing his phone in Viktor's face. “I learned a thing or two from the little lapinou.”

 

“What is this?” Viktor ask, taking the phone from the Swiss and looking at the blinking dot.

 

“Phichit's location. We had turned on  _ find my friends _ last night just in case we got separated. I was right in assuming he hadn't turned it off yet.”

 

“Oh Chris! Look look, they're walking along the beach. Why are they walking along the beach… I want to walk along the beach with my Yuuri.” Viktor pouted at the phone, the very idea that Phichit and Yuuri were having an intimate conversation while casually strolling down the street was starting to drive him mad. “We should intercept them.”

 

Chuckling Christophe plucked his phone out of Viktor's hand and put it away. “No, but if you'd like we could walk in that general direction.”

 

“Yes, yes.”

 

“So, what have you decided?” Christophe finally asked as they fell into step, weaving around the crowds. “Will I be seeing you at Europeans?”

 

Viktor grinned up at his friend. “It had always been my intention to return, I could only keep the ice at bay for so long. It's in my blood you know.”

 

Christophe hummed in agreement. “I suppose mon chéri, I suppose.”

 

“I was lost Chris. It was dark and lonely at the top. Everyone had all these expectations, and I had lost all inspiration.” Viktor let out a deep sigh. “I might as well have been dead Chris… but then Yuuri came in, and breathed new life into me. He swept in like a storm and took my breath away. I've never felt so alive.”

 

“I know.” Christophe whispered sadly, before looking up at the sky, “so you're really coming back?”

 

“That's the plan.” Viktor replied proudly.

 

“What about Yuuri?”

 

“Well naturally I would want him to keep skating. He is so ethereal on the ice, like a Greek god straight out from the pages of mythology.” 

 

“Eros I presume?” Christophe asked with a chuckle.

 

“Amongst others, yes.”

 

“Heh, and who are you? His Psyche?”

 

Viktor grinned, “I certainly would go through hell and back for him. Endure all the trials the gods could throw at me.”

 

“You're hopeless.”

 

“I know.”

 

The two friends continued on in a contented silence, with Christophe checking his phone every so often.

 

“Oh, it looks like they've stopped.”

 

“What? Where?” Viktor exclaimed, grabbing at Christophe's phone. “Oh, El Cangrejo Loco.”

 

“Great place, exceptional drinks.” Christophe stated, taking his phone back. “Shall we?”

 

The two friends made their way inside the restaurant, easily picking out Phichit and Yuuri who were seated by the window, the sea splayed out behind them. After a minute or two of deliberation, Christophe had managed to convince Viktor to sit down at a table far away enough from the pair that their presence wouldn't be automatically detected, but not far away enough for them to not see their two friends.

 

“I can't hear anything.” Viktor complained as Phichit slammed his head down onto the table.

 

“That's the point mon chéri.”

 

“But I want to hear what they're saying. It seems interesting.”

 

Letting out a sigh Christophe turned his head toward the pair, raising an eyebrow as Phichit raised his arms to form a pair of quotes, not even bothering to lift his head from the table. “Intriguing indeed. But I'd rather respect the privacy of our friends, who clearly wanted to have a private conversation, otherwise we would have been invited.”

 

“Do you think Yuuri's still mad at me?” Viktor asked, eyes searching Yuuri's face for a clue.

 

“About what?”

 

“You know, us.”

 

“Oh mon dieu. Why in God's name would he be mad about that?” Christophe asked with a laugh.

 

“He avoided the topic all day when I tried to bring it up.”

 

Viktor frowned as Christophe began to laugh uncontrollably, gripping the table as means to steady himself.  “Mon chéri, you did not drop the topic at all?”

 

“No? I mean, I needed to be sure he was okay with it.”

 

“You're an idiot my friend, a real idiot.” Christophe said still chuckling. “I wouldn't be surprised if he's still mad at you.”

 

“No!~ Don't say that.” Viktor wailed, burying his face into his hands. “What am I going to do?”

 

“Stop mentioning the fact that we used to fuck?”

 

Viktor let out a groan, focusing his attention back to the two men talking by the window, Yuuri handing Phichit back his phone, a playful smirk on his face as he sipped his coffee.  He really wished he could hear what they were talking about because the range of emotions which passed across his Yuuri’s face in those few minutes were priceless.  He adored how Yuuri could go from playfully sassy to utterly baffled, to clearly annoyed and then radiating joy the next moment.  His expressive Yuuri, no wonder Phichit seemed to be able to communicate with him telepathically.  After living with the man for five years, one would bound to be able to pick up the slightest shift of Yuuri’s emotions and be able to guess what the man was thinking.

 

_ “VIKTOR DID WHAT!?” _  That they heard, and Viktor paled significantly as Christophe began laughing again.

 

“Oh mon chéri, what now?”

 

Viktor gaped at Christophe, completely baffled.  It could be a many number of things he’s done, but then Phichit is grinning wickedly at Yuuri and before Viktor could figure it out, Yuuri is screaming.

 

_ “PHICHIT YOU FUCKING LITTLE SHIT CHULANONT YOU MOST CERTAINLY DID NOT TELL ME THAT YOU KISSED THE VIKTOR NIKIFOROV THE FIRST TIME YOU MET HIM.” _

 

Oh right.  

 

That.

 

He did do that didn’t he?  He had forgotten about that, it was so insignificant, impulsive even, and then he caught Phichit’s eye.  “Oh no, he saw us.” Viktor moaned, as he tried to hid behind a menu, peaking out from the side to see what was happening.

 

He stilled as Phichit suddenly got up from his seat, sliding into the chair next to Yuuri, barely registering the fact that Christophe’s hand had come down around his arm, holding him in place as Phichit tossed them a wink and leaned in toward Yuuri.

 

No. No. No. No. No. No.

 

Viktor was pretty sure his brain short circuited as Yuuri jerked himself away from Phichit, waving his arms wildly as his face turned read.

 

Letting out a growl he moved to storm over toward them, but was pulled back into his chair by Christophe, who was laughing uncontrollably at his pain.  “Chris, let me go.” He hissed, only to have the grip on his arm tighten.

 

“I think not mon chéri.” Christophe managed between laughs.  “If the goal is to  _ not _ piss Yuuri off more, I do believe it’s best you stay here.”

 

Grumbling Viktor pulled out his phone, violently typing out a series of angry messages as Christophe continued to howl with laughter next to him.  That cheeky little bastard, as if he had no idea what Viktor was ranting about.  How dare he.  HOW DARE HE.

 

He had almost broken free from Christophe's grip when  _ that smirk _ crossed over Yuuri’s face, and as if Christophe could read that expression, Viktor suddenly felt the brunt of Christophe’s weight falling across his shoulders, pinning him to the chair.  Phichit had his phone held out, ready to take a selfie, and then he was wearing a matching smirk.  All Viktor could do was watch in horror as  _ his Yuuri _ leaned over, just as the shutter releases and kissed Phichit.

 

An inhuman noise escaped Viktor as he flailed about in his chair, Christophe doubled over in laughter, arms pinning Viktor in place as he laughed hysterically.  The instagram notification went off, and he didn’t even have to open it to know exactly what he was going to see.  Phichit posted that abhorrent picture.

 

Growling he swiped at his phone, briefly looking at the picture, resisting the urge to leave a nasty comment, before sending off another flurry of angry messages.

 

 

“Mon chéri, you can stop typing now, they’ve been ignoring you for a while now… pretty sure they blocked you.”

 

“What?” Viktor exclaimed, head snapping up to look over at the pair.  Phichit had resumed his previous seat across from Yuuri, phone still in Yuuri’s hands as the two laughed at something.  Looking back down at his own phone, he noticed that the messages were missing the read receipt.  Christophe was right, Yuuri had blocked him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Tumblr Post for Instagram Pics]()
> 
> Back to our regularly scheduled programing next chapter.


	43. Chapter 43

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not actually part of the chapter, but in case you were wondering what happened at the end of the bonus chapter....
> 
> [Tumblr Post for Instagram Pics](http://ishxallxgood.tumblr.com/post/159813709497/re-yuri-katsuki-chapter-43-instagram-pics)

Phichit sucked in a breath as JJ took the ice, recovering from his shaky first jump to deliver an outstanding program. It was one of those surreal moments where he wasn't quite sure what he was watching. After that abysmal short program Phichit wasn't sure what JJ would do, but it was undeniable that this man was a powerhouse. A little part of Phichit resented him for that, but then again JJ had Olympian blood coursing through his veins so it wasn't surprising that the nineteen year old would already have four fucking quads under his belt, and a loop to boot. Sometimes life just wasn't fair, but fair or not, it was not about that right now. This was supposed to be the dawn of a new era, one where Southeast Asia will finally be put on the map, and he would be the one to do it.

 

Sure, he wasn't going to place, especially not with JJ pulling that score out of his ass at the last possible moment, but it was okay. All it meant was that Phichit would just have to work harder, prove to the world that he deserved to be here, that Thailand deserved to be here, that winter sports should not be confined to countries that actually got snow.

 

Phichit was ready, history was being made right before his eyes, and a little part of him shook in his skates. The crowd was roaring, and he found himself slightly intimidated as he took off on his axel, stumbling the landing, but straightening up right away. No, this was his moment, and he would not let something like the crowd, or JJ’s comeback shake him. No, he was Phichit Chulanont, and one day, maybe not today, he would be standing there with a Grand Prix Final gold medal around his neck and the world would not forget his name.

 

Phichit was beaming with pride as he received his scores, not a personal best, but high enough for him to be proud.  As they sat in the kiss and cry, the press taking pictures, he could hear Yuuri’s music start, his head whipping toward the ice so he could catch a glimpse of the performance, that first, flawless combination caused his heart to pound within his chest.  It made him remember how he felt the first time he saw Yuuri skate, all those years ago.  Yuuri couldn’t end it all now, he simply couldn’t, he was pure magic on ice, ethereal, a god, more so than Viktor ever was.

 

“Come Phichit, the press awaits.”

 

“Fine.” Phichit sighed, pulling his gaze away from the ice.  “It’s such a shame I won't be able to watch the rest of that, Yuuri on ice is simply divine.”

 

“Indeed.  We’ll have to catch the rebroadcast.”  Celestino said with pride.

 

By the times he finished talking to the press, Phichit was able to find a screen and catch Yuuri's scores. “Ciao Ciao…” he gasped, “I knew our Yuuri had it in him!”

 

Celestino nodded in agreement, at a loss for words, and Phichit could almost see the guilt on his coach's face on never being able to unlock Yuuri's true potential. It really wasn't his fault, Celestino was an amazing coach, but defeating Yuuri's demons, clearly that was something only Viktor Nikiforov could do. Phichit would have to thank him properly for that later, for now there were more pressing issues to attend to, like Christophe Giacometti's free skate.

 

There was just something about Christophe on the ice, it was so different from the Christophe he knew off the ice. The Christophe who was soft and teasing, and flirted shamelessly with him, but who was also the same Christophe who would sputter and blush due to Phichit’s retaliation. Phichit found it endearing that the Christophe off the ice was not the overly confident persona he displayed, but someone who was lost, lonely, and seeking something beyond comprehension. It made him wonder if Christophe knew that he had people like that in his life already, that Viktor for one was one of those people.  

 

Sure, Viktor would never be to Christophe who he was to Yuuri, and a part of him understood why that would be hard for Christophe to accept.  He can’t imagine what it might even feel like to chase someone for a decade only to realize that you never stood a chance.  It made him wonder if something as silly as soulmates actually existed.  If Viktor and Yuuri were actually two halves of one who, separated at the dawn of time only to find each other again and again in each lifetime, and if that were the case, then who was his other half, who was Christophe’s half?  Surely if the notion of soulmates existed, then they too should have a half out there somewhere, wandering, lost until they found each other.

 

For a fleeting moment Phichit considered the possibility that perhaps they did fit together, that maybe just maybe, it could work.  He had never considered it before, this notion of love, of soulmates, of needing someone to fill a void he did not even know existed.  Was there a void?  He wasn’t sure, he had never felt empty before, but then again, he had never felt whole before either.  Pushing these thoughts out of his mind he chose to focus instead on Christophe’s skating.

 

Phichit loved it, he loved the passion Christophe displayed on the ice, and he could clearly see why he had referred to the ice as his lover.  He loved the way Christophe dominated the ice, carved his soul onto her smooth surface, caressing her with his blades as he claimed her as his own.  He loved the fluidity of his movements, the power behind his jumps, the way he made a quad lutz look easy.

 

Phichit cringed when Christophe popped his quad salchow, turning it into a single, “C’mon! Hang in there Chris!”  He found himself yelling with conviction and he had no doubt in his mind that Christophe must have been thinking about Viktor again, for he caught that scowl and dirty look thrown at the kiss and cry.

 

He hated the fact that Christophe had momentarily let Viktor’s antics get under his skin, but when he pulled a lone triple axel instead of his usual combination, a burst of pride washed over him.  “He changed his program to make a jump into a combination in the second half.” Phichit found himself observing outloud.

 

When Christophe proved them all right by successfully landing his last combination and finishing with his usual flourish, Phichit could not help the smile which broke out across his lips.  A warmth bubbled in his chest as Christophe blew a kiss to the cameras, and a little part of him claimed it for himself.  The moment passed quickly though, vanishing the second Christophe's eyes dropped and that smile strained. Phichit felt his heart shatter within his chest as that look of melancholy passed across Christophe's perfect features, and he wanted nothing more than to another the man and tell him how beautiful his skating had been.

 

It would have all been in vain though, that much he did know. Christophe's scores were decent, but not great, placing him third after Yuuri and JJ. A damn shame really, because if it hadn't been for that popped salchow, he would have edged JJ out by less than a tenth of a point. Not that Phichit had anything against the Canadian, he simply had more of a vested interest in Christophe.  If only Viktor hadn't distracted Christophe, but that was neither here nor now, and there was nothing any of them could do about it.

 

“Hey Phichit?”

 

Yuuri’s voice cut him from his thoughts and he pulled his attention away from the screen to look at his friend.  “What’s up Yuuri?” He asked, voice hopeful, but the look on Yuuri’s face told him he was not going to hear what he wanted to hear, and that ignited a spark within him.

 

Yuuri must have noticed something shift in Phichit’s demeanor because he was suddenly less frantic and more subdued, a hand rubbing the back of his neck as his eyes dropped down to the ground.  “I was wondering if you’ve seen Viktor…”

 

Phichit could barely contain the scoff which tried escaped him, “I don’t know Yuuri, maybe he’s out seeking inspiration for his comeback, since you know… the inspiration he did find is rumored to be retiring.”

 

“Wait, what?” Shock was written all over Yuuri’s face.  His eyes were blown open, mouth opening and closing again, as if he was trying to find the right words to say.  “Viktor… he never… he just…”

 

“Is that all, Yuuri?” Phichit asked, dismissing his friend as he turned his eyes back toward the screen in front of him.  

 

“Phichit…” Yuuri’s whole body had stiffened from Phichit’s words, and he knew Yuuri could practically feel the anger radiating off of him.  “Are you _mad_ at me?”

 

“Of course not Yuuri,” Phichit crooned, his voice dripping with sarcasm.  “Why on earth would I be mad at you?”

 

“You’re a horrible liar.”

 

This time Phichit actually scoffed, “That’s because I’m not _trying_ to lie, Yuuri.  It’s called sarcasm.  No shit I’m mad at you.”

 

“But… why?”  Yuuri stammered, confusion flashing through his warm brown eyes, and for a split second Phichit felt bad.

 

“Because you’re obviously still thinking about ending things with Viktor.”

 

“What are you talking about… how…?”

 

Letting out an exasperated sigh Phichit poked his friend on the forehead.  “You’re an idiot Yuuri.  For starters, it’s written all over your face, besides, did you forget that Viktor found Christophe and I that night?  It was all over Instagram.”

 

“Oh.” Yuuri breathed, as his hand came up and rubbed the spot Phichit had poked.  “I’m sorry… I guess I should have known you knew… I just didn’t think it would bother you so much.”

 

“Why would it not bother me Yuuri?” Phichit was honestly losing his patience with Yuuri, this was certainly not the conversation he had wanted to have right now.  “You’re thinking about leaving the ice, about throwing away everything you’ve worked so hard to achieve.”

 

“It didn’t bother you this much last year…” Yuuri mumbled, trying to ignore the glare Phichit was throwing his way.

 

“Last year was different,” Phichit said, his tone softening just a little.  “You were a complete mess last year.  You were depressed and drowning, barely able to gasp for air.  What kind of friend would I have been if I didn’t support your decision to retire after what happened last year.”

 

“But…”

 

“No but’s Yuuri.” Phichit all but snapped, his body tensing, fists clenched in anger.  “I refuse, and I mean _refuse_ to see you do this to yourself Yuuri.  What are you trying to prove by walking away?  You finally, _FINALLY_ made it to the top. You have Viktor Fucking Nikiforov, not only as your coach, but as your fucking _fiancé_ … Hell you JUST broke his fucking free skate world record, and now you just want to walk away!?  I think the fuck not.”

 

Phichit relaxed slightly as Celestino gently squeezed his shoulder, silently indicating that it was enough. He really hadn’t meant to go off on Yuuri, but he was tired, tired of fighting for Yuuri’s career, tired of fighting for Yuuri’s love life.  He had spent the past year doing everything in his power to ensure that Yuuri would stay, that Yuuri would realize how fucking amazing he was.  Taking a deep breath he turned from his friend, schooling his face and tone to neutrality.  “If you don’t mind, I’m trying to watch Otabear skate, Viktor’s probably talking to Yakov or something… try there.”

 

Phichit deflated as he heard Yuuri sulk away, presumably to go find Viktor. “Ugh, I was pretty savage wasn't I?”

  
“Just a little.” Celestino replied, the hand on Phichit's shoulder relaxing as they turned their attention back toward Otabek’s free skate.


	44. Chapter 44

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the madness. pt 1

“To the Grand Prix Finals!” Christophe toasted, raising his glass, everyone more than happy to return his toast as they all clinked glasses before taking a drink and settling back down around the table.

 

“Fuck that shit.” Phichit grumbled, climbing up onto of the table, only to have Christophe tug him down again, as he raised his glass.  “TO YUURI FUCKING NIKIFOROV AND FIVE MORE YEARS OF COMPETITIVE SKATING!” Phichit screamed at the top of his lungs, drawing the attention of everyone in the restaurant.

 

Yuuri buried his face in his hands, turning bright red as Viktor let out a laugh, his glass connecting with Phichit’s.  “Amen to that, Yuuri  _ fucking _ Nikiforov that is.”

 

“Oh god.” Yuuri mumbled from behind his hands, “Phichit stop… and Viktor stop enabling him.”

 

“Can’t stop, won’t stop.”  Phichit sang taking a long draught of his beer.  “Besides, it’s a much better topic than you know, Viktor fucking-”   
  
“PLEASE JUST STOP!” Yuuri all but shrieked, clamping his hand down over Phichit’s mouth.  “That’s enough from both of you.  And Viktor, please stop drinking.  W- I have to skate tomorrow still.”

 

“Oh fuuuuuuck.” Yuri Plisetsky groaned, his head slamming onto the table.  “I forgot all about that… I don’t want to do the lame piece baba Lilia choreographed for me.”

 

“Duuuuuuude, mini Yuri, my man!~” Phichit was beaming as he climbed back onto the table, crawling over to the other side so he could pat the young Russian on the head.  “Just make it up!~”

 

“Phichit!  Stop giving people stupid ideas.” Yuuri reprimanded, pulling him back into his chair.

 

“Yea.” the other Yuri agreed with a scowl.  “That’s seriously the dumbest shit I’ve ever heard, and I had to deal with Viktor Nikiforov for the past five years. Like I can just magically pull an exhibition piece out of my ass with no music, no costumes, and no choreography.”

 

“I for one think Phichit’s ideas are brilliant.” Viktor said, raising his drink toward Phichit again and flashing him a wink.  

 

“Thank you Viktor.”  Returning his toast Phichit polished off his beer and poked Yuuri on the arm. “Yuuri switch seats with Viktor, he’s my new best friend.”

 

“No.” Yuuri said pulling the drink out of Viktor’s hand.  “I do not trust the two of you together.”

 

“Yurio, I’ll choreograph a new piece for you right now.” Victor declared, letting Yuuri take his drink.  “What do you want to skate to?”

 

“The fuck should I know.” The teenager spat, “what do I look like to you? Spotify with a head full of music.”

 

Phichit let out a laugh, almost falling out of his chair as he shifted his attention over to Otabek.  “You might not be, but I know someone who is…”

 

“I would love to help,” Otabek said, coming to a stand, “but unfortunately, I have to call it a night.”

 

“What?” the little Yuri whined, “Already?  It’s not even nine yet Beka, and you  _ have _ to help me come up with a song.”

 

“Sorry Yura, but I have a gig I have to get to.”

 

“A gig?  What do you mean a gig?”

 

“Otabear’s a DJ!” Phichit interjected, earning a nod from Otabek.  “Which is perfect, by the way!  We can just move the party to the club!  Otabear, where are you spinning?”

 

Pulling out his phone Otabek quickly shot Phichit a text with the name and address of the club, “I don’t know how you’re going to get Yura in though, age restrictions and all.  I don’t recommend breaking the law.”

 

“Oh don’t worry Otabear, leave this to me.”  Phichit chirped with a wink, to which Otabek responded with a shrug and gave everyone a wave before heading out the door.

 

Turning his attention to Yuri, a devious grin crossed his face as his eyes sparkled with mischief.  “How do you feel about a velvet dress with heels and an ermine stole… okay maybe not the ermine stole… who the fuck owns an ermine stole?”

 

“You're not serious are you, Chulanont?” Yuri asked with eyes blown wide in confusion. “Why in fuck’s name would I want to put on women's clothes?”

 

“Why not?” It was not so much a question as it was a dare. Taking a step closer he assessed the teenager's face, “you have beautiful bone structure, do you have any idea how much easier it is to bribe a bouncer as a chick?”

 

“What,” Yuri gaped, “I'm not even going to ratify that with an answer.”

 

“Ah, but mini Yuri,” Phichit said with a sigh, “this world is a dark twisted place. Sometimes we just have to play into her hands.”

 

“Oh mon dieu,” Christophe moaned, “Phichit, no…”

 

“You mean Phichit yes.”

 

Yuuri let out a sigh, “No really Phichit, there’s got to be a better way.”

 

“Oh Yuuri, darling.” Phichit purred, “You of all people should know that this is by far the  _ best _ way. Care to join us?”

 

“No Phichit, I really don’t.” Yuuri sighed in exasperation.  “Those days are behind me.”

 

“Wait.” Viktor said stilling, his attention acutely focused on Yuuri as he quirked an eyebrow.  “Are you saying you’ve done this before?”

 

Phichit shared a look with Yuuri, the raise of Yuuri's eyebrow and the slight down turn of his lip begged Phichit not to say a word. Pursing his lips Phichit let out a huff before shrugging, “I can neither confirm nor deny that, but I do need an answer, mini Yuri.”

 

“You’re suggesting that I dress like a girl to sneak into a club?” Yuri asked, an unreadable expression plastered on his face in lieu of his usual scowl.

 

“That’s exactly what I’m suggesting.” Phichit said with a grin.  “And in case you’re uncomfortable with that idea, I’m more than happy to join you.”

 

“Do you think it’ll work?”

 

“Oh I don’t know,” Phichit said shooting Yuuri a look, “what do you think Yuuri, think it’ll work?”

 

“I think I’m going to fucking murder you Phichit.”  Yuuri retorted, “But yes,  _ obviously _ it’ll work.”

 

“Fine.”

 

“Oh my God really!?” Phichit grabbed Yuri's hands, excitement bubbling to the surface. “You will not be disappointed.”

 

“Where are you getting dresses from?” Yuuri drawled, picking at his nails. “Pretty sure you didn't pack anything in anticipation of  _ this _ .”

 

“No, I didn't.” Phicht stated, his fingers already flying over his phone. “But, I do have friends. Mini Yuri, meet me in my room in thirty minutes, twenty six o six.”

 

“Twenty six o six? The fuck?”

 

“What?” Phichit asked, “why does everyone feel the need to repeat my room number back to me in disbelief.”

 

“I'm surprised the disbelief came across in the text.” Christophe said, draping an arm around Phichit. 

 

“Sweetheart, you can come across anything and I'd be about to read you loud and clear.”

 

“You're going to be the death of me one of these days, lapinou.”

 

Giving him a wink Phichit turned his attention back toward Yuuri, “you sure you don't want to join us?”

 

“I've never been so sure of anything in my life.” Yuuri deadpanned.

 

Thirty minutes later Phichit was in his room bouncing on the balls of his feet as Mila Babicheva and Sara Crispino tossed an insane amount of clothing onto his bed. “You guys are the best.”

 

“Oh,  _ anything _ to see the kitten in a dress.” Mila crooned, a wicked grin crossing her lips as she dropped down on the couch next to Yuri. 

 

“Shut it hag.” Yuri spat. “I'm only doing this to get music for my exhibition tomorrow.”

 

“Sure you are.”

 

Sifting through the clothes Phichit eyed Yuri carefully before pulling out a grey  _ virgin-killing sweater,  _ as a simply devilish grin crossed his face. 

 

“I am not wearing that.” Yuri spat, regarding the garment with venom.

 

Mila giggled into the back of her hand, coming to a stand she quickly crossed the room and plucked the dress out of Phichit's hand, eyeing it critically.  “Sara I’m surprised Mickey lets you see the light of day in this.”

 

Sara laughed, “Oh Mickey doesn’t know about that.  Mickey will  _ never _ know about that.”

 

“Oh come on mini Yuri,” Phichit said, pulling out a short black velvet dress for himself. “You want to get into this club don't you?”

 

An animalistic growl escaped Yuri’s lips as he jumped to his feet and violently ripped the dress from Mila's hand, stalking off into the bathroom.

 

“How on Earth did you do that?” Mila asked sifting through the clothes to choose an outfit for herself. 

 

“Otabear is spinning tonight.” Phichit answered with a wink, and Mila cocked her head to the side in confusion.

 

“I wasn’t aware they knew each other.”

 

“Girl, they’ve been inseparable since Wednesday.” The dress fit better than he could have hoped for, although he would kill for an ermine stole right about now. Running his fingers through his hair, Phichit let out a slight pout.  “Man I wish I had my wig.”

 

“It's alright.” Sara said gingerly fingering his hair. “I could work with what you have. Get a cute pixie going.”

 

“Oh that would be great Sara.” Phichit beamed, settling down at the desk, in front of the makeshift hair and makeup station they had set up.

 

“Sooooooo,” Mila drawled, running dark eyeliner across her eyes before grabbing a brush and working it up into a beautiful smokey eye. “You guys do realize you're insane right? Coming up with a program in one night.”

 

“How so?” Phichit inquired raising an eyebrow. “If he finds a song he like from Otabear's repertoire, there's no way he can’t get a choreography out of it too. Forget Viktor, get Yuuri dancing and magic  _ will _ happen.”

 

“Ain't that the truth.” Mila said with a chuckle. “How do you plan on getting Yuuri to dance?”

 

“Mila, honey.” Phichit said, turning toward her as Sara's hands stilled. “Get Yuuri into the club, and there  _ will _ be dancing. Boy can't help but move to the music.”

 

“There.” Sara said spraying the hairspray one last time. “Don't you look like a magical fairy godperson.”

 

The three friends laughed and they continued to primp themselves as they waited for Yuri to finish up in the bathroom. As Phichit pulled on his new shoes, Mila banged on the bathroom door, firing off some rapid Russian before the door opened violently and a scowling Yuri Plisetsky stalked out. 

 

“I hate you,” he spat, pointing at Sara, “for owning this,  _ dress _ , honestly how can you even call this thing a dress, it barely covers my ass.”

 

Sara smirked into her hand as she looked him over. “Don't be so hard on yourself Yuri,” Sara finally said, dropping her hand from her mouth. “It actually looks better on you than it does on me.”

 

Yuri scoffed as he plopped down onto the chair Phicht gestured to, trying not to scowl as Phichit began expertly applying makeup.

 

By the time Phicht and Sara were finished with his hair and makeup, Yuri was unrecognizable. Slipping him a pair of stiletto knee high boots, Phichit took a step back and declared them ready.

 

“You're not doing this to punk me right?” Yuri grumbled as they stepped into the elevator. “We’re actually going to be able to get in right?”

 

Letting out a gasp Phichit clutched his heart. “My dude, mini Yuri! I would never!” He gasped. “Do you even see yourself right now? I've never seen a girl more beautiful, and  _ I'm _ dress up right now. Want in on a secret?”

 

The teenager crossed his arms around his chest and quirked an eyebrow. “It better not be something stupid.”

 

Phichit merely smiled and pulled out his phone, scrolling through his photos until he found the one he was looking for, “you’ve surpassed Yuuri.” He said pressing the phone into Yuri's hand.

 

“Holy fucking shit. Hag, come see this!” Yuri said pulling Mila closer to him so she could see the phone.

 

“Oh Phichit,” She said with a grin, “you look the same.”

 

A positively wicked look flashed across his face. “Oh do I, now. I wonder if anyone else will notice.”

 

Laughter tore out of Yuri as he processed what Phichit had just said. “You're shitting me right?”

 

“Swipe right.” Phichit offered as a reply, waiting for the exact moment he reached the selfie they had taken with  _ the  _ Viktor Nikiforov.

 

Stepping off the elevator the four of them made their way over to their group of friends already congregated in the lobby. Phichit watched with glee as Yuuri furrowed his brows and shook his head at him gesturing for him to keep his lips sealed, as he ignored the vice grip Viktor had on his arm. 

 

“I did not put on this fucking  _ dress _ , so you idiots and stand around gaping in the hotel lobby.” Yuri spat, brushing past the group of men as he made his way toward the revolving doors. “We have an exhibition piece to put together and far too little time.”

 

Phichit watched expectantly as Yuri's outburst broke the spell and Viktor closed his mouth, quickly released Yuuri's arm to scramble for his phone.

 

  
Slipping his phone back into his pocket, Phichit turned around and gave Viktor a wink, inviting Christophe to come up next to him as he followed the girls out the door, hips swaying and heels clacking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you don't know what the virgin-killing sweater is... it's [this](https://crimsonchainsnsfw.tumblr.com/post/157426092845/a-friend-asked-me-to-draw-yuri-in-that-virgin) but he's wearing booty shorts or something, def not going comando. xD
> 
> There is a story about Mississauga and [the picture](http://ishxallxgood.tumblr.com/post/160041307982/there-is-a-story-behind-this-picture-a-story), but that will be part of the squeal (well prequel) fic to this one about Phichit and Yuuri's time in Detroit. So yea. But it's somewhat self explanatory. 
> 
> Tumblr post for Instagram pictures [here](http://ishxallxgood.tumblr.com/post/160042736917/chapter-44-of-re-yuri-katsuki-instagram)


	45. Chapter 45

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, I'm really really really sorry for this delay (not really but I am a little sorry)
> 
> I got REALLY into Zelda: Breath of the Wild recently... and being a completionist it's not gonna end anytime soon. D: 
> 
> I swear I WILL finish this fic and not make you wait two to three years for the ending (y'all don't know the pain some of my Naruto followers had to go through over at Fanfiction.net :P) 
> 
> We have one more chapter until the conclusion of Madness and then off to the banquet and the end. <3
> 
> Thanks for putting up with my, now without further ado...
> 
> Edit: So because I feel bad for making you guys wait, I finished drawing Phichit and Yuri dressed up for the club. It's [here on Tumblr](http://ishxallxgood.tumblr.com/post/160745025772/fanart-i-did-for-re-yuri-katsuki-chapter-44)

“Oh my God I can't believe that worked!” Yuri breathed as they settled down on the lush white couches of the VIP section of the club.

 

“Never underestimate the power of a cute girl, bottle service and a few hundred Euro bribe.” Phichit beamed as he popped one of the bottles of Belvedere and filled various glasses, mixing a few with sugar-free RedBull before passing one to Yuuri.

 

Downing their drinks the two friends grinned at each other in understanding before pulling away toward the dance floor, dragging Mila and Sara with them, leaving the rest of the boys gaping.  Yuuri laughed when Mila and Sara sandwiched him and started grinding upon him.

 

Phichit managed to snap a few pictures before Mila pulled him in and twirled them around, pushing him onto Yuuri before grabbing his phone and adding a few more photos to his collection.  The music pumped through their veins as they danced, and for a moment, everything was right in the world.  

 

The past year had been a whirlwind for Phichit, from Yuuri’s looming retirement to Viktor’s initial message.  Never in a million years would he have imagined that he would be here, at the end of his first Grand Prix Finals adventure, cross dressed like he was seventeen all over again dancing with Yuuri at a club.  The best part of it all, was the fact that he had resolved the crisis, that Yuuri was no longer tethering on the edge of retirement, depressed and alone.  No, his Yuuri was now high flying, adored, and by none other than the Viktor Nikiforov.  

 

As they danced, Phichit would occasionally throw a glance over at Victor, giving him a wink before descending upon Yuuri again. Tossing his head back in laughter as he rested it on Yuuri's shoulder, relishing the glare Viktor bore into the back of his head.

 

“Phichit, stop torturing Viktor.” Yuuri chided as he dropped his hands down onto Phichit's hips, pushing him off slightly, but not all the way as they continued to sway in time with the music.

 

“I am doing no such thing.” Feigning innocence Phichit twirled around and draped his arms across Yuuri's shoulders, meeting his eyes with a smirk before peering over his shoulder and winking at Viktor again.

 

“Break time.” Yuuri declared, ducking out from under Phichit's arms, “Thanks to you, Viktor's probably murderous right now.”

 

“Probably. He's funny when he’s jealous.” Phichit said laughing as he followed after him eyes sparkling in delight as Viktor pulled Yuuri close to him possessively.  Blowing the Russian a kiss Phichit deposited himself next to Christophe, and mixed himself another drink.

 

“Velvet suits you, lapinou.” Christophe purred, running his hands along the sides of Phichit's body.

 

“Right?”  He chirped, “And I wore the boots.” He said kicking up his feet.

 

“I noticed, mon petit démon.”

 

“Can all you guys stop being gross and help me pick a song?” Yuri snapped from his spot on the far side of the couch, next to Viktor. “Whole reason why we're here.”

 

Grinning back at the teenager a devious look flashed across Phichit’s eyes as he hopped to his feet. “Great idea mini Yuri, come, let's go put in a request with the DJ.”

 

“Wait, what” Yuri tried to protest as Phichit grabbed him by the arm and dragged him through the crowd, stopping right in front of the DJ booth where Otabek had his head lowered, concentrating as he transitioned into the next song.

 

Phichit pushed them up against the glass, catching the DJ’s attention but earning themselves a scowl and a shake of his head. Undeterred, Phichit knocked on glass again, beaming brightly up at Otabek when he was met with another glare he gestured for Otabek to lean over so he could hear him.

 

“I don't take requests.” Otabek stated flatly.

 

“But Otabear…” Phichit crooned before he could pull away again, giggling as Otabek's eyes popped open wide in recognition. “You promised mini Yuri you'd help.”

 

“Oh my God! Phichit!?” Otabek gawked, looking Phichit over in disbelief before his eyes suddenly landed on the  _ girl _ next to him, whose eyes were lowered and blushing furiously. “No fucking way, Yura!?”

 

Phichit bit back his laughter as Yuri's head snapped up and his bright green eyes met Otabek's dark brown ones. “Beka.” The young Russian mumbled, doing an abysmal job at hiding his embarrassment.

 

“Wow.” Was all Otabek could say as he tried to regain his composure, but Phichit didn't miss the way his voice had hitched and the blush which could rival Yuuri’s spread out all over his face.  If Phichit had to guess, he would say that his dear friend was quite smitten by the little kitten.  “Give me twenty minutes.  I already have a playlist running in my head, the next set I do will be dedicated to you.”

 

By the time the two of them made it back to their friends, Otabek was already wrapping up the current set and Mila and Sara had also made their way back, chugging down drinks as Mickey glared at them from his corner, Emil laughing as he pushed a drink into the grumpy Italian’s hand. 

 

“Did you two just talk to the  _ DJ _ ?” Mila asked when they approached, offering Phichit another drink before eyeing Yuri.

 

Phichit gave her a wink as he slowly sipped his drink while the little kitten glowered at her and chugged down a RedBull.  “What’s it to you,  _ hag _ ?” He spat.

 

“No reason.” Mila sang, hiding a smirk behind her glass.

 

“So what’s going on?” Yuuri asked, untangling himself from Viktor and grabbing an energy drink off the table.  “We haven’t heard anything that screams  _ exhibition _ yet.”

 

“Otabear said he’ll play a set just for mini Yuri… we just gotta wait.”

 

“Good, because I don’t know how much longer I’m going to last.”  Yuuri said fighting back a yawn.  “I can’t believe I let you talk me into this.”

 

“Lightweight.” Phichit declared tossing him another RedBull.  “What happened to the Yuuri who could hang all night?”

 

Yuuri shrugged but cracked open the energy drink, downing all eight point three ounces in one long draught before making face.  “That shit is still disgusting.”

 

Luckily they didn't have to wait long, and when Otabek took his place behind the booth again he tossed a nod over in their general direction and held up a thumb’s up. Jumping up from the couch Phichit pushed a slightly reluctant Yuuri toward the five by five stage in front of them that he had convinced management to allow them to use.  Giving Phichit a sigh Yuuri ultimately relented and climbed on top with Phichit reminded him that this was all for mini Yuri, but a little part of him knew that as much as Yuuri grumbled about it, he actually enjoyed the attention.  

 

It didn’t take long for Yuuri to find his zen, and the moment he climbed up onto that space the music flowed through him, working its way through his body, consuming him. 

 

It was a good set of songs that Otabek had chosen, and Phichit could practically see the stories each one told, but so far none of them were it.  They had time though, and he had faith that the right song was there, just waiting for them, and halfway through the set it found them.

 

Phichit knew it was the right song the moment the first chord hit him, and when he locked eyes with Yuuri he knew that Yuuri also knew this was it.  It was funny, because somehow not even having to look at Yuri, he knew that the little Russian would feel the same way, regardless of whether the kid knew the song or not.  

 

This song was something Phichit and Yuuri were intimately familiar with, it was a song that they had  played around with, to many different forms of dance, to include the ice. It was Yuuri's go to song whenever life constricted around him and the pressure was too much and all he wanted to do was scream. It was a song Phichit loved dancing to whenever the world was quickly spinning out of control and he didn't have enough hours in a day to do everything he needed to do and forty eight hours without sleep drove him to the brink of madness. It was a song that he knew perfectly captured what little Yuri must have been feeling in that moment.  A mixture of exhilaration for breaking not only Victor's short program record but also making history as the first men’s singles figure skater to capture gold on his senior debut, but also frustration at the thought that their Yuuri would be leaving the skating world after pulling off that perfect free skate, magnifying all the miniscule mistakes in Yuri’s own free skate. It was a song that spoke to them all, and welcomed them with open arms into the madness.

 

Yuuri flashed Phichit a bright smile as he translated all the routines they'd ever danced to that song so that it fit into a five by five space, and when he finally chanced a glance at mini Yuri, Phichit knew they had found his song.

 

“This.” The teenager said barely above a whisper. “This is what I want.”

 

Throwing an arm around the boy's shoulders Phichit flashed him a smile. “Welcome to the madness, mini Yuri… welcome to the madness.”

 

“That's certainly… different.” Viktor quipped from his spot on the couch, tossing back another shot of vodka.

 

“It's fucking perfect is what it is.” Yuri snapped back at him.

 

“It's a little outside of my comfort zone in terms of choreography.”

 

“Shut it old man, nobody's asking you anyway. I want Katsudon.”

 

Phichit scoffed, “don't we all mini Yuri, don't we all… that my friend is the tastiest bowl of katsudon there ever was.”

 

“Heh,” the teenager chuckled from under his arm. “One could even call it a pork cutlet bowl fatale that enthralls men.”

 

“Or,” Viktor said getting up from the couch, closing the space between them and Yuuri, “one could call that Katsudon, mine.”

 

“Technicalities Viktor, technicalities. Besides,” Phichit said with a grin so wicked it could rival Satan's, “one could say I've tasted it first.”

 

“Lies.” Viktor seethed. “Yuuri said and I quote,  _ it's not like you know, we've fucked before or anything _ .”

 

“That's true, we haven't. I never said I fucked him, I said I tasted him first.”

 

“So when are we going to the rink?” Yuri asked, shoving Phichit off of him as he forced a change of subject.

 

“Mini Yuri, find us a rink open at one in the morning and I'll be more than happy to throw a bunch of money at it.” Phichit laughed. “I've checked, the earliest we can get to a rink is at five. Which lucky for us, is only a little less than four hours away.”

 

“When are you guys planning to sleep?” Viktor exclaimed.

 

“Sleep is for the weak Viktor.” Phichit replied with a grin, Yuri nodding in agreement. “Besides, that’s what five hour energies are for.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the club they're at is [Opium](https://opiumbarcelona.com/en/360)
> 
> If you clicked that link you'll be taken to the virtual tour of the club. They're on the white couches behind the ropes in VIP.
> 
> So here's the thing, evidently Opium is a pretty shitty club in terms of service, but that actually works in my favor. Because Phichit didn't find out about it until the NIGHT OF, like literally three hours before, so that section was probably already booked.... Phichit probably just bribed them with MORE money than the previous party to get them kicked out. That and although figure skating probably isn't that popular, but Victor Nikiforov probably is... so he might have thrown so names around, and threw in Otabear too since he's spinning that night.
> 
> So somebody who's not them, is probably really pissed their table got given away.


	46. Chapter 46

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First things first, I'm so sorry (not really) for not updating for so long. There are a wealth of reasons for this, the main one being the muse quit. 
> 
> So I've been trying to keep this thing 100% canon compliant, and I understand how hard that was going to be, especially writing something like Madness because we all knew that we were going to get more Madness content. Well that's the main reason why the muse decided to call it quits. Two months ago, when writing pt 1 of Madness I was almost done with this chapter, and then the day after Madness hit the muse went "fuck this shit" and I lost half the chapter. I tried... I really did, and then scraped most of it because it just didn't fit with canon anymore and that made me sad.
> 
> The other reason, I fell down a LoZ: Breath of the Wild hole and was consumed by fish sticks. For that reason I'm not sorry. The muse moved on to SidLink, and I couldn't really blame her. Ha.
> 
> Anyway, I finished this chapter, and I really only have two maybe three more chapters planned for this fic, so HOPEFULLY I'll be able to wrap this thing up for you guys soon. 
> 
> Come yell at me on Tumblr if I take too long again. Haha

Two hours later they found themselves in an empty banquet room back at the hotel, Viktor and Chris passed out in a corner as Yuuri ran through the choreography one more time. Snapping a picture of the two men slumped against each other Phichit giggled as he posted it on Instagram with the caption  _ old men can't hang #outbythree _ , before turning his attention back to the two Yuris.  The choreography Yuuri ended up going with wasn’t too different from what they had messed around with in the past, a few new elements added here and there, but nothing too crazy.  Although it was going to be one helluva program, and he was pretty sure Coach Yakov was going to have an aneurysm that evening.  

 

By the time they made their way over to the one rink Phichit could find that would give them private practice time as early as five in the morning, Viktor and Chris had retired to their rooms and Yuri had gotten most of the dance down. The three of them were now running solely on Redbulls and five-hour energies and they were practically buzzing out of their skin as they skated around the rink, working in elements to the choreography they had been pounding out for the past three hours.

 

Phichit let out a sigh as he watched Yuri fly through the air, four rotations and a clean landing.  It really was unfair how some people were just naturally so gifted, how at fifteen this kid was able to pull off jumps Phichit could only dream of landing cleanly.  It was fine though, jumps weren't everything, besides, it wasn't like he didn't have time to learn them, and one of these days he'd show them all.

 

When six thirty rolled around Otabek showed up and Yuuri decided to call it a night. Phichit stayed since he knew the choreography and they ran through it a few more times to Otabek's approval, before the energy shots started wearing off and they were starved for something with more substance.

 

Seven o’clock found them situated at a table in the hotel restaurant, plates loaded up with protein and carbs, shoveling as much food into their mouths as fast as humanly possible.

 

“So what are you doing for a costume?” Phichit asked after swallowing down the last of his omelette.

 

Yuri paused, fork held in suspension, “Shit, I didn't think of that yet.”

 

Stretching his arms up over his head Phichit let out a yawn. “Well let me know if you need help figuring something out… if anything we can go shopping later.”

 

“Why are you being so nice to me?”

 

“What do you mean?” 

 

“It’s just you don’t know me, you have no obligation to help me…” The look of distrust that flashed across the young Russian's face confused Phichit.

 

“Why would I  _ need _ a reason to want to help?”

 

“Because,” little Yuri spat, “nobody just throws their time and thousands of Euros at someone they barely know without an agenda.”

 

Phichit frowned. “Oh.” Was all he said as he got up and patted the blonde on the head. “I'm sorry that that was what life has taught you. If you're still up for it, meet me in the lobby at two, we'll figure out your costume then.”

 

“That is not an answer!” Yuri screamed as Phichit moved to exit the room, giving the teenager a wave and a bright smile before leaving. 

 

Phichit chuckled to himself as he made his way back up to his room. In a way Yuri Plisetsky was right, he had absolutely no obligation to help the kid, it wasn't like he even really knew the kid, but then again Yuri was important to Otabek and he was important to Yuuri, and that alone was reason enough to help.

 

As he plopped himself down onto his bed he wondered how life had come to this. This time last year he never would have thought they'd all be where they are today. A small part of him still wondered if he'd wake up one day back in the small dingy apartment he had called home for so many years. Waking up to a dead to the world Yuuri who he would have to coax out of bed by blasting Viktor Nikiforov interviews and a pot of Ethiopian light roast with just a touch of sweet cream.  Those days in Detroit seemed so very far away now, and he would be lying to himself if he said he didn't miss them. 

 

He did. 

 

He missed those early morning practices and late night shenanigans with Yuuri. He missed having three meals a day with Yuuri, listening to the man gush over every little aspect of Viktor Nikiforov. He missed skating until their feet bled and they were sore all over from missing quad after quad. He missed dancing all night until they collapsed onto each other laughing uncontrollably due to a mix of exhaustion and inebriation. He mainly missed Yuuri, having him to himself, not having to share with Viktor Nikiforov, at least not a flesh and blood Viktor Nikiforov, the two dimensional one he could excuse. 

 

Little Yuri claimed he had an agenda in helping, and perhaps he did. If spending a night dancing with Yuuri again, pretending Viktor Nikiforov hadn't swooped into their lives and made himself a permanent fixture, was a valid agenda. 

 

Phichit woke up to the incessant buzzing of his phone, letting out a groan he braced himself for whatever crisis Victor was currently having.  Swiping at his phone he shot upright, noticing the time and the fact he was about forty-five minutes late in meeting mini Yuri, but there was a text saying he figured it out, so Phichit figured he was safe from the wrath of the little kitten.  Yawning he unlocked the phone and tapped on the instagram notifications which woke him up.

 

 

Phichit stared down at his phone as he contemplated Viktor Nikiforov’s latest dilemma.  For once in his life, Viktor’s concern was legitimate, what was Yuuri going to do for Nationals?  There was no way he would be able the handle that kind of pressure without a coach, and Viktor, well he already committed to returning to the ice, Yuuri would rage quit if Viktor backed out now.

 

Yuuri needed a coach, and suddenly it clicked.  Grabbing his laptop Phichit’s fingers flew across the keyboard as he looked up flights from Barcelona to Fukuoka.  It would be easier to ask for forgiveness rather than permission as he put in a request to change his and Celestino’s tickets from Bangkok to Fukuoka.  Yuuri  _ will _ have a coach there when he skates for Nationals, Phichit’s going to make sure of it.  Besides, it wasn’t like Thailand had Nationals, and his next big competition wasn’t for another two months.  

  
He could spend two weeks in Japan supporting his best friend. Yuuri  _ will _ win gold, and then, well he wasn’t sure if  _ that _ gold will count, but hopefully it will, because by the end of this season, there had better be a wedding.


	47. Chapter 47

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The exhibition.

Phichit settled back into his chair as the exhibition started, letting out a puff of air as JJ Leroy took the ice. One of these days, he told himself, that will be him out there, with a Grand Prix Final medal under his belt and skating his heart out at the exhibition. It was his dream, a goal of sorts.  He was talented, sure he needed to up his technical scores a little, who was he kidding,  _ a lot _ , but medaling at the Grand Prix Finals wasn’t something completely unattainable.  Perhaps maybe not next year, since both Yuuri and Viktor would be back on the ice, and he would still have to contend with the likes of mini Yuri, JJ, and Otabek, not to mention Christophe, because if he had it his way, these were the people he would be competing against again.  Then again, he would have to cut someone from the list, and if it were up to him it would be JJ, not because he has anything against the man, but for the simple fact that he wouldn’t be able to cut anyone else from that list, certainly not himself.  Realistically he knew he didn’t have much of a chance until Viktor retired for real, so for now, he would be happy with just being able to compete on their level, even if he was dead last. 

 

Not that finishing last at the Grand Prix Finals was something to be ashamed of.  Like he told Yuuri last year, finishing last at the Grand Prix Finals was still finishing sixth in the world, was it not? Besides, he had told himself that he was here to have fun, to enjoy the thrill of skating against the best, of pouring his heart and soul out onto the ice. Not that any of that actually made him feel any better about himself, even if he had skated a personal best. Even if his total combined score was higher than what JJ’s was last year, and he had finished third then. Phichit was proud of his accomplishments, he really was, but it still stung a little that his best still wasn't nearly even close to good enough yet.

 

He’ll prove himself though, he was still young.  If Yuuri didn’t make his first Grand Prix Finals until he was twenty three, then Phichit still had a chance, or at least three years.  Then again, who was he kidding really?  He was nowhere near Yuuri’s level, not even close to what Yuuri was able to accomplish at twenty.  Phichit knew, Phichit saw.  Yuuri was capable of greatness from a young age, the triple fucking axel was his  _ favorite _ jump, the triple axel.  If Yuuri’s nerves didn’t get the best of him he would have been pulling off world record breaking programs every year since the dawn of time, but he was always his own worst enemy.  It was okay now, because he had Viktor, and with Viktor by his side, Phichit was confident that Yuuri could reach for the stars and outshine the best.  Yuuri could without a doubt, dwarf the untouchable Viktor Nikiforov.

 

Phichit let out a sigh. Who was he kidding really?  He didn’t stand a chance, but it didn’t mean he wouldn’t still dream, and hope, and work his ass off for a moment in the sun.  He had made it this far had he not?  He took gold at the Cup of China.  He could do this, he could overcome, he could… he could… he really truly could, couldn’t he?

 

“Lapinou, that look doesn't suit you.”

 

Forcing a smile, Phichit turned to face Christophe. “Better?”

 

“Not really,” Christophe said as he took a seat. “What’s bothering you?”

 

The fake smile slipped off of Phichit’s face. “Nothing really,” he answered truthfully. It wasn’t like his placement actually  _ bothered _ him, it was just a dull bitterness of simply knowing he just wasn’t good enough  _ yet _ , that given time perhaps he would be, but as it stood, there was nothing he could do about it. 

 

When Christophe quirked an eyebrow at him, Phichit let out a heavy sigh and slumped back into his chair.  “Just contemplating life, the universe, and everything.”

 

“I hear the answer’s forty-two.”

 

A light chuckle escaped Phichit at the reference, and suddenly all the bitterness that had been floating around in the back of his throat dissipated. His problems suddenly felt childish. That bitterness he was tasting must have been nothing compared to what Christophe was probably stewing in. Having to sit out and  _ watch _ an exhibition for once rather than participate in it. “How are  _ you _ doing?”

 

The Swiss man shrugged his shoulders as his eyes flickered over to the ice, a heavy sigh escaping him. “Eh. I've definitely been better… I was hoping that without Viktor on the ice this year, it would be my time to shine…”

 

A flash of anger passed through Phichit’s eyes as he let out a huff.  “That’s not what you said in China.”

 

Christophe let out a dry laugh. “You remember too much.”

 

“I remember the important things,” Phichit said as he picked at his nails. He didn’t like it, the direction this conversation was taking, it was sounding more and more like, like Christophe was  _ giving up _ .  “You said to Viktor, and I quote, ‘ _ I’m not motivated without you _ .’”

 

“I wasn’t,” Christophe said quietly, a hand running through his hair as he let out a sigh and slumped back into the chair.

 

“No shit.”

 

“My, my, lapinou, why must you say it like that?”

 

Phichit shrugged. “I don’t know, why did you come in fifth?”

 

Phichit could hear the sharp intake of breath as Christophe shuffled in his chair, and he was honestly not surprised when he felt the man’s eyes burning into him. Too harsh, definitely too harsh, but now wasn’t the time to take back his words, not if there was a chance his suspicions were true.  Turning to face the man again, Phichit narrowed his eyes, steeling his resolve as he made the decision to fight for Christophe’s career for him.  It was almost like this whole Grand Prix Finals was one big test for him, one big test of ‘ _ how many skaters can Phichit convince to not retire in one weekend _ ?’  

 

“I didn’t  _ choose _ to come in fifth.” Christophe’s voice was cool, calculated, a hint of warning hanging off the word  _ choose _ . 

 

“I know,” Phichit said, deflating. He offered Christophe a soft, reassuring smile. “It was painful to watch, you know.”

 

Christophe let out a slight scoff. “I’m sure it was. I popped a salchow of all things.”

 

“You did… And that salchow cost you your medal,” Phichit stated rather bluntly. “But you also managed to rework your combination on the fly…”

 

“It wasn’t enough though,” Christophe said sadly. “It makes me seriously consider whether or not my time has come.”

 

“Bullshit,” Phichit snapped, turning to shoot the Swiss man a glare. “If old man Viktor can return to the ice, not only as a competitor but also as a coach, you have another year or two left inside of you. You and I both know that salchow was popped because your head wasn’t in the game. You said so yourself: without Viktor out there with you, you’ve lost your motivation. Well, he’s coming back, so what’s your excuse now?”

 

“You got me there, lapinou. I don’t have one.”

 

“Didn’t think so,” Phichit mumbled, turning his attention back toward the ice. “You know… if you hadn't popped that salchow, that would be you out there right now, not  _ King JJ _ .”

 

“Even so, there's no room left on the podium for me. Not with Viktor returning, Yuuri finding his center… angry Yuri breaking records… if JJ hadn't royally screwed himself in his short –”

 

“Bullshit,” Phicht spat again. “That is utter bullshit and you know it.”

 

“Is it though, lapinou?” 

 

There was something painful about the way Christophe was speaking, and it cut Phichit right to the core. Christophe retiring was like the sun refusing to shine, it was like… like Yuuri retiring.

 

“Why not quit while I'm ahead? Distance leads to enchantment, don't you know?” Christophe said with a dry laugh. “This way, I'll be remembered as the man who comes right after Viktor… not some washout.”

 

“This is crazy defeatist talk!” Phichit all but screamed. “Why commit career suicide!? I believe in you, Monsieur Giacometti… Besides, if you retire now, I’ll – I’ll tell Viktor… and… and… I got nothing.”

 

The laugh which escaped Christophe broke the tension in the air and Phichit couldn’t help but crack a smile too. “Oh, lapinou!” Christophe wheezed between breaths, “you… you’re something else, really. Just for you, I’ll make sure to come twice on the ice.”

 

“You mean come back to the ice…”

 

“No, no, lapinou,” Christophe said with a devious laugh, “I had it right the first time.”

 

“Oh, mon dieu,” Phichit groaned, “what on Earth am I going to do with you, Monsieur Giacometti? My innocence is shook.”

 

“Come with me?” Christophe replied cheekily, flashing Phichit a million-dollar smile and a wink as JJ’s exhibition closed with the deafening roars of  _ King JJ _ .

 

Phichit's laughter was cut short by the announcement of Yuuri taking the ice, a sharp gasp escaping him when the song was announced. They had joked, a long time ago – three years to be exact – of Yuuri skating one of Viktor's routines for an exhibition. It was one of those jokes that they both really didn't believe would ever happen, but here he was now, beautifully dressed in a replica of Viktor's own free skate costume, paying homage to the man who made it all possible. To the man Yuuri had admired for over a decade and strove to meet halfway on the ice and in life. 

 

The first notes of the piano hit Phichit harder than he thought they would, tears instantly springing to his eyes as Yuuri started to move. Emotions surged within him as Yuuri brought life to the music, but it suddenly dawned on him… piano? 

 

That wasn’t right. 

 

Stammi Vicino opened with the singing of violins. Something was off, but this was definitely  _ Stammi Vicino _ , he would recognize this song anywhere, god knows he'd heard it enough times, but at the same time this wasn't Stammi Vicino. At least this was not the Stammi Vicino that Viktor had skated to all last season.

 

Swiping at his eyes he nudged Christophe with his shoulder, hesitant to actually break the spell Yuuri was casting on the ice. “Chris…” he hissed softly, shifting closer when the Swiss man inclined his head toward him. “Tell me you hear it too… that this isn't Viktor's Stammi Vicino.”

 

“This isn't Viktor's Stammi Vicino.” Christophe whispered back, the same reverence and confusion mirrored in his voice.

 

“Hmm,” Phichit mused as he critically watched Yuuri's movements, trying to puzzle out the reasoning behind this change.

 

The moment Yuuri took off on his triple axel and the swell of the violins met the piano, Phichit understood. He wasn't sure who noticed it first, him or Christophe, but they both gasped and grabbed for each other at the same time. The violins sang out as Yuuri's blades connected sharply with the ice, Viktor gliding out to meet him, sweeping him into his arms.

 

The tears flowed freely from Phichit's eyes as he watched two souls entwine. It was inexplicable, that feeling which coursed through his veins, filling his heart with longing, a longing he had never known in his whole twenty years of life. In that moment, as he watched Yuuri and Viktor become one, Phichit thought that perhaps, just maybe, it wouldn't be so bad if he too could find his other half.

 

“Mon chéri,” Christophe moaned, pulling Phichit from his thoughts. “Have you ever seen anything so beautiful in your life?”

 

“Nope,” Phichit breathed in response, “I can't say that I have… and I've seen Yuuri practically naked as he killed it to win pole theater.”

 

“Classique?” Christophe asked with a scandalized gasp.

 

Phichit roared with laughter, momentarily forgetting about Yuuri and Viktor's intimate dance on the ice. “You wish! Art. He danced art… god, Chris, did you forget who we're talking about here!? Besides,” he said with a coy curl of his lip, “ _ I _ won classique.”

 

“You! You're going to have to show me this winning routine of yours,” Christophe cooed, lips dangerously close to the shell of Phichit's ear, his warm breath sending shivers down his spine.

 

“In due time,  _ minou, _ in due time,” Phichit said with a smile, gently patting Christophe on the arm. “But first, we celebrate Viktuuri.”

 

As Phichit watched the pair glide across the ice, skates cutting across the ice in perfect harmony, declaring to the world their perfect love, he couldn't help but wonder if he should perhaps write a book about them. It would start with  _ the greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love, and be loved in return. _ Perhaps not, though, because  _ that _ epic love story ended in tragedy, and there was absolutely nothing tragic about Viktuuri.

 

If anything, Viktuuri had shown him that in this wild, crazy, imperfect world filled with broken souls, it was possible to find true love, and that love conquers all. Even the death of a beloved dog and crippling anxiety could do nothing to thwart love’s sweet embrace.

 

Watching Yuuri lift Viktor, with the entirety of the galaxy reflected in his eyes, forced a sob out of Phichit. To think, a year ago Yuuri was sobbing to him over the phone, lamenting the fact that he blew it, that he failed to meet Viktor on his level, that he failed to impress the man. It was a little bit funny, how these things could work out, how a one-sided obsession – because Phichit would call it what it was, an obsession – could bloom into something so beautiful. Let this be a lesson to anyone who had ever said fairytales aren't real, because this, Viktuuri, this is the most magical manifestation of a modern day fairytale. And he was proud to say that he had had the pleasure of playing the role of Yuuri’s fairy god-person, or perhaps Viktor's fairy god-person, he wasn't even sure anymore.

 

“Are you alright, mon chéri?” Christophe breathed in his ear as the music faded out and the crowd came to life.

 

“I'm dead, Christophe, dead,” Phichit said, wiping the tears from his eyes. “I'm sure I just caught a glimpse of heaven out there on the ice.”

 

“You and the rest of us, lapinou.” Christophe let out a heavy sigh as he settled back into his chair. “Do you think…”

 

Phichot raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow at him as his words trailed off. Did he think what? That there just might be someone out there waiting to complete him? That maybe, just maybe, that someone was sitting right next to him? That perhaps, if he gave in, they could rival the greatest love story ever written? Possibly. Was he ready to accept this idea? Definitely not.

 

The one thing Phichit had learned from his journey on the road to Viktuuri was that long-distance pining was a bitch and a half. Besides, it's not like Phichit was ready for something serious right now, he had no spare energy to devote to a love story of his own. To borrow Christophe's words, for the moment, the ice was his lover, and he was determined to give her his undivided attention. To do anything else would be madness.

 

Speaking of madness, Phichit practically bounced in his chair as the spotlights refocused on center rink, his heart thumping with that first strike of the drum. He fought back a laugh as mini Yuri lowered his shades just a tad, and promised himself that one of these days he'll have to teach the kid the proper way of doing a smokey eye without looking like a raccoon.

 

Watching mini Yuri skate to madness was nothing short of maddening, and it awoke something dark inside of Phichit. It was strange, because, well, it was  _ madness _ . Phichit wasn't sure where that ugly, all-consuming feeling of jealousy came from. Perhaps it was due to that technically flawless quad, or the height he got on the flying camel. Fifteen years old and little Yuri Plisetsky was more technically sound than he would ever be, but Phichit knew that wasn't the reason. There were a lot of technically proficient skaters out there, JJ being one of them – not to mention the best, and when he says the best, he means the man no one could even come close to technically, the one, the only, the myth and legend, Viktor Nikiforov, and Phichit felt absolutely nothing toward them.

 

Sighing, Phichit attempted to swallow down his contempt and focus on the skating. Phichit knew this routine intimately, perhaps not this  _ exact _ routine, because sure there were elements in there designed specifically for Yuri, but the overall routine, that he knew. It pained him to watch Yuri stutter across the ice as he attempted to keep time with the staccato of the beat, knowing that if it was Yuuri out there the movements would have been so much more graceful. Hell, he could do it with more finesse than that, but then mini Yuri shucked off his jacket and executed some steps and then fell into a beautiful spread eagle.

 

The moment kitten Yuri launched himself into a triple axel from that spread eagle, Phichit saw it, and suddenly all that bitterness melted away. Yuri Plisetsky, Russian punk, ice ~~tiger~~ kitten of Russia, brat who screamed at a melting down Yuuri, was drowning in katsudon like the rest of them. 

 

He should have known.

 

Mini Yuri did make that off-handed katsudon comment at the club, but Phichit wasn’t sure if it was just the alcohol talking. In fact, Phichit had quite honestly forgotten most of that conversation, remembering only now because, well, because katsudon.

 

Phichit could have laughed. It was possible that Phichit did laugh, he wasn't even sure anymore. He wasn't surprised that Otabear made a cameo on the ice, but he was surprised by the fact that the kitten practically shoved his hand into the man’s mouth so he could remove the glove with his teeth. Madness indeed. Phichit wished he could see the expressions on Yakov’s and Lilia’s faces, that must have been priceless.

 

“What did you guys teach the kid?” Christophe asked when mini Yuri suddenly dropped to his knees, arms raised behind him as he executed a sinister slide à la Johnny Weir, his flimsy tank top riding up.

 

“Welcome to the madness?” Phichit offered with a shrug.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, you get bonus points if you can name the 3 references I made in this chapter... in fact, the first person who can name all three will get something from me... idk what yet... either a picture or a ficlet I suppose... 
> 
> Also I want to shout out to @lucycamiu for Phichit being the most wonderful fairy god-person in existence. Because she is wonderful. (also hint; that was NOT one of the three references I was referring to)
> 
> Anyway, hope you enjoyed this, two chapters left. If you're lucky I'll give you a ChulaCometti epilogue...


	48. Chapter 48

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Barcelona banquet part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was supposed to cover the whole banquet, but it kind of ran away from me, so there'll be a part one and a part two. <3
> 
> Hope you have as much fun reading this as I had writing it.

“Yuuri!” Phichit exclaimed, excusing himself from the two men he was speaking to before rushing across the room to greet his friend.

 

Draping an arm around Yuuri’s shoulders, Phichit steered him toward a quiet corner of the room, ignoring the fact that Viktor was following them.  “Yuuri,” He said again, his voice taking on a more serious tone as he pursed his lips before settling on a stiff smile.  “I’ve been doing some thinking… and I feel like this needs to be said.”

 

“Umm… okay?” Yuuri replied, eyeing him suspiciously.

 

“If you hurt Viktor again, I will fly to Saint Petersburg and murder you in your sleep.”  Phichit said pointedly, his eyes narrowing as he removed his arm from around Yuuri’s shoulders and crossed them, staring intently into Yuuri’s eyes the whole time.

 

“Excuse me, WHAT!?” Yuuri all but screamed, choking on air as Phichit held his stare.

 

“Bitch I didn’t stutter.”

 

“Oh my god you’re serious.” Yuuri gasped, stumbling backwards a little, the wall behind him breaking his fall.

 

“Of course I’m serious.” Phichit said taking a step forward, eliminating the distance Yuuri just created.  “That man-child loves you more than life itself.  Make him cry again because you want to, what was the phrase you used again? ‘ _ End this _ ’ and I swear to god I will end you.”

 

“O… okay…” Yuuri said shakily, his eyes darting behind Phichit towards, whom he could only assume was Viktor.

 

“I mean it Yuuri.” Phichit said, drawing Yuuri’s attention back to him.  “I’ve never seen  _ the Viktor Nikiforov _ look so disheveled.”

 

Yuuri let out a sigh and slumped against the wall.  “I’m sorry… I didn’t think he’d get so mad… I just wanted him to be happy…”

 

Taking a deep breath Phichit tried to calm himself down so he wouldn’t kill his best friend and regret it later.  “Yuuri… I’ve never seen him happier than when he is with you.  So  _ ending _ things and breaking his heart is unacceptable.  Don’t ever do that again.  Nobody hurts with my friends, not even you.”

 

A simply sinister grin spread across his lips, his eyes narrowing just slightly as the braced his hands on the wall, boxing Yuuri in.  “And you of all people,” he said darkly, “should know what happens to people who hurt my friends.”

 

“Hai…” Yuuri breathed as he swallowed hard, trying very hard to avoid Phichit’s eyes, but their proximity made it impossible.

 

Phichit held his stare, because he needed to get through to Yuuri.  If these past ten months taught him anything it was that Viktor Nikiforov was a very fragile human being, in desperate need of love.  Sure, Phichit enjoyed teasing Viktor, just about as much as he enjoyed teasing Yuuri, but it was all in love and good fun.  Phichit hated Yuuri’s demons, he hated the control they had over his otherwise bright and playful friend, but they were part of him, and he would be damned if he allowed those demons to push away the one person in Yuuri’s life who could make them dissipate simply by existing.

 

"Phichit!~” Viktor’s voice broke through the tension between the two friends and Phichit turned around, only to be assaulted by elegant limbs, glittering eyes, and a heart shaped smile.  “Nobody has ever threatened another on my behalf!”

 

Phichit chuckled as Viktor finally released him from the bear hug, a wicked smile crossing his lips as his eyes flickered over to Yuuri.  “That you know of.” He corrected, patting Viktor on the head.  “Have you met my friend Yuuri Katsuki?” He asked, gesturing toward Yuuri who was now mouthing a series of “no’s.”

 

“My boy Yuuri here,” Phichit continued, pulling Yuuri into a one armed hug, “has literally beat up three hockey players for insulting-”

 

“THAT’S ENOUGH!~” Yuuri screeched as he clamped a hand over Phichit’s mouth.  “Wait… Why are you so tall?”

 

“It’s all in the shoes baby.” Phichit replied, pulling Yuuri’s hand from his face.  Beaming as Yuuri’s eyes opened wide and locked onto the delectable pair of fuckmebooties he had had the pleasure of buying the other day.

 

“Phichit… wow.”  Yuuri gasped, bending down to get a better look.

 

“Jealous?”

 

“Just a little.” Yuuri admitted as he straightened up and relaxed into Viktor’s embrace.  “Though I don’t even want to know how much you spent on those.  They’re obviously Choo’s.”

 

“Aww should I have gotten you a pair for your birthday instead?”  Phichit asked with a wink, knowing  _ exactly _ what response he will be met with.

 

“NO!” Yuuri and Viktor exclaimed as one, causing Phichit to suppress a chuckle.

 

“Your present was wonderful, perfect even.” Yuuri said with a cough, Viktor nodding vigorously in agreement.

 

“You know…” Phichit drawled, intently examining the nails of his left hand, “I was promised a picture…”

 

“Never.” Viktor all but hissed, drawing Yuuri closer against him, away from Phichit. “All mine.”

 

“Oh I'm sure,” he crooned, fighting back a laugh, his eyes twinkling with mischief as he regarded Viktor’s claim to Yuuri. “But… I suppose that I have two weeks to coax him into modeling it again for me.”

 

“Wait, what?” Yuuri and Viktor asked in unison.

 

“Seriously, you guys need to stop doing that.” Phichit said with a smile, “but, to answer your question…  _ somebody _ has to be there for Yuuri during Nationals since loverboy can't.”

 

Without waiting for a response, Phichit gave Viktor a wink and staked away from the pair, laughing internally to himself at the way both their jaws fell open in the same way. 

 

Viktuuri indeed. These two had somehow fused into one being.

 

Before Phichit was even halfway across the room, his phone buzzed in his pocket. A self-satisfied grin spread across his face as he reached for it, already knowing exactly who it was that was messaging him.

 

 

Phichit spent the majority of the banquet making himself inaccessible to Yuuri and Viktor, and adamantly refused to provide Viktor with any further answers on Instagram. On the other hand, what he did manage to do was convince everyone, and by everyone he meant everyone, sponsors, ISU officials, other skaters, coaches, and the like, to congratulate and toast Yuuri on his silver and new world record.

 

By the time midnight rolled around, Yuuri was pleasantly drunk, and Phicht, well Phichit was just getting the party started.

 

As most of the sponsors and officials trickled out of the room, Phichit laughed as Christophe took it upon himself to get a pole set up in the banquet hall again.  Honestly, he found it amusing how intent everyone was at getting Yuuri to dance again, Phichit on the other hand, knew better.  Sure, convincing Yuuri to mount the pole again would be divine, but that’s old news, Phichit had other plans.

 

Shrugging, Phichit left Christophe to his devices and wandered over toward Otabek and the little Yuri, who seemed to be currently engaged in a heated argument with Mila.

 

“Otabear.” Phichit said, sliding an arm around his friend's shoulders, ignoring the death glare the little kitten shot him. “Remember what we discussed the other day?”

 

Raising an eyebrow at him, Otabek regarded Phichit for a minute and then schooled his expression again, responding with a cool, “don't threaten me with a good time.”

 

Grinning wildly, Phichit nodded.

 

“Just give me a sec to set up.”  Otabek said as he ducked out from under Phichit's arm and made his exit.

 

Mila’s eyes opened wide for a second before bursting out laughing, clutching onto mini Yuri as she doubled over, tears springing to her eyes.

 

“What's so funny, baba!?” Yuri growled, attempting to shake the girl off of him. 

 

“Chi… Chicago.” She managed to gasp out before falling back into a fit of giggles.

 

“Oh God, not you too.” Yuri mumbled as he shot a glare over to Phicht. “Explain!’

 

“Oooh… did I hear someone say Chicago?” Yuuri slurred as he slumped against Phichit, leaving Viktor pouting behind him. “Classic.”

 

“Will any of you assholes ever explain Chicago to me!?” Mini Yuri snarled, finally managing to shove Mila off of him.

 

“Chicago.” Yuuri supplied again with a giggle, as Viktor managed to wrangle him away from Phichit and wrapped himself around his body.

 

“Shut it Katsudon, you weren’t even there.” Yuri spat.

 

Phichit watched in amusement as Yuuri peeled himself away from Viktor again, much to the older man’s dismay, and stumbled over toward mini Yuri.  “I didn’t have to be.” Yuuri replied, tapping little Yuri Plisetsky square in the chest. “ _ Don’t threaten me with a good time _ says it all.  I know my Phichit… and if that’s what Otabear… ha… Otabear… that’s funny… like that bear… Ted… Oi, Phichit, Ted right?”

 

“Yes, Ted!” Phichit supplied, laughing as the angry little kitten kept glaring at them, alternating his death stare between the two of them.

 

Before Yuri could go off on another rant, the music suddenly changed, altering them to the fact that Otabek had finally finished setting up.  Beaming, Phichit hopped on over toward the pole, peeling off his suit jacket and pants as the strumming of the bass filled his veins.  

 

Otabek did not disappoint.

 

Phichit also did not disappoint as he mounted to pole and showed  _ everyone _ exactly how it should be done.

 

“Phichit!~” Yuuri purred as he dismounted the pole, handing him his pants. “Have I ever told you how much I love that routine?”

 

“Maybe once or twice.” Phichit answered, with a wink directed toward Viktor who simply scowled at him in return.

 

Slinging his pants across his arm, Phichit made his way over to Christophe and plucked the shirt he had thrown at the man during his dance out of his hands.  “So, Chris,” Phichit started as he dropped the pants to the floor and slowly maneuvered his arms into the sleeves of the shirt, “what did you think of my winning routine?”

 

“You… you…” Christophe stammered at a loss for words.  “Lapinou, you astonish me every time you mount a pole.”

 

“Mmm.” Phichit hummed as he finished up with the buttons of his shirt, “must have been the Oona.”

 

“Champagne, cocaine, gasoline…” Christophe crooned, low and seductively in his ear, hands running down Phichit's sides, stopping to rest on his hips.

 

“And most things in between.” Phichit continued, slipping out of Christophe's hands as he bent down to grab his pants from off the floor. “I'm a scholar and a gentleman.” He managed to get out before stumbling a little when his heel caught the hem of his trousers. A laugh escaping him as he gripped Christophe's arm for stability. “... And I usually don't fall when I try to stand.”

 

“Impeccable timing, lapinou.” Christophe managed to choke out between laughs. 

 

“But you gotta admit,” Phicht said, straightening up, “I make these high heels work.”

 

“That you do, mon petit démon.” Christophe breathed. “I can't believe you actually wore them.”

 

“Hey now, I said I was gonna didn't I?” Phichit teased, flicking the stir straw in the drink Christophe was holding. “And I'm a man of my word.”

 

“Is that so?”

 

A devious glint crossed his eyes as he plucked the straw out of the drink, twirling it in his fingers before sliding it horizontally into Christophe's mouth. “Oh, I never say  _ anything _ I don't intend to do.” Phichit replied with a wink, closing Christophe's jaw onto the straw so that he was now biting down on it like a bit.

 

Blowing Christophe a kiss Phichit quickly took his leave before the man could recover and draped himself over a curiously, but conveniently, alone Yuuri.

 

“Yuuri!~” Phichit whined in his most accurate Viktor Nikiforov impression, “my feet hurt, switch with me.”

 

Without missing a beat, Yuuri kicked off his shoes and dropped to the floor, pawing at Phichit's feet while murmuring, “Gimmie, gimmie, Choo’s.”

 

By the time Viktor returned to Yuuri's side with two glasses of water, Yuuri was already swaying on the dance floor, losing himself in the music.

 

“Here let me get that for you.” Phichit offered, relieving Viktor of the waters, just as Jason Derulo’s voice came on over the strum of the guitar and the low thumping of the bass.

 

Viktor barely got his bearings straight before the beat dropped again followed by Yuuri’s hips.

 

“On second thought, you look thirsty.” Phichit said handing Viktor back a glass of water as Yuuri started popping it, gesturing toward Viktor as his hips moved with a life of their on their own.

 

A strangled noise escaped Viktor when Yuuri suddenly dropped to the floor, pushing up on his arms before sliding up to his knees and thrusting.  Turning his attention toward Viktor, Yuuri dragged a finger seductively across his lips as he shifted closer, obeying the lyrics of the song as he continued to  _ wiggle _ .

 

By the time the song ended, Phichit was pretty sure Viktor poured the whole glass of water all over himself in a vain attempt to quench his thirst.  Yuuri was relentless as he danced, keeping himself just out of arm’s reach as he worked his magic, and by the time he finally pulled Viktor onto the dance floor with him Phichit was sure the man pretty much came right there.  

 

“Here I thought you were the little demon in disguise.” Christophe whispered into Phichit’s ear as they pressed against each other on the dance floor, swaying to the beat of the music.  “Yuuri is purely diabolical.”

 

“Mmm.” Phichit hummed as he spun around and ground down hard against Christophe.  “He must learn from the best.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I seriously have a whole routine in my head for Phichit and [Don't Threaten Me With a Good Time](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5NqIsnyTG8) but unfortunately I'm no choreographer and I would never be able to articulate it. Do keep in mind, he does his [Oona spin](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3GD8gBYSf0) during the chorus (champagne, cocaine, gasoline, and most things inbetween...)
> 
> Yuuri's Wiggle performance is based off of [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1Lo2bangnk). Watch it and just picture Yuuri as Bongyoung and drool.
> 
> Will we ever find out what happened in Chicago? Your guess is as good as mine (it's half written... but idk if I'll ever finish it)


	49. Chapter 49

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Barcelona banquet pt 2

Stumbling onto the stage Phichit grabbed the microphone and steadied himself.  “Guys, I think we’re getting kicked out soon, but before we go… I just want to say…” Glancing over, he gave Otabek a curt nod and waited a second before screaming, “TONIGHT WE ARE VIKTUURIOUS! CHAMPAGNE POURING OVER US! ALL OUR FRIENDS ARE GLORIOUS!  TONIGHT WE ARE VIKTUURIOUS!”

 

Laughing, Phichit watched as Yuuri spun Viktor around before pushing him onto a chair, foot landing in between his knees as he leaned down to lick a stripe across Viktor’s face from his ear to his lips.  Leaping off the stage Phichit swung himself around Christophe and grabbed for a fresh bottle of champagne, mouthing along to the lyrics of the song as Yuuri moved to unravel Viktor where he sat.

 

“And just when I didn’t think you could get any more diabolical, mon petit démon.” 

 

“Oh minou,” Phichit purred as he pushed Christophe down onto another chair, straddling him as he ran his free hand down the center of Christophe’s chest.  

 

“My touch, is black and poisonous,” he sang along with the song, licking his lips as he lingered in front of Christophe.  Allowing the lyrics to speak for him, Phichit teased a kiss, smirking as he pulled away just as Christophe leaned forward to steal the kiss.  “I know you need it, do you feel it?” He continued to sing pulling the cork off the bottle of champagne with a wink.  “Drink the water, drink the wine…”

 

“Mon dieu,” Christophe moaned, hands coming down to rest on Phichit’s hips as he moved against him in time with the beat, “You are going to be the death of me.”

 

“Fifty words for murder and I’m every one of them,” Phichit continued to sing as he laughed, snaking an arm around Christophe’s shoulders, tipping the champagne back.  Spinning around, he slotted himself against Christophe, grinding down one more time before picking himself off, eyes flicking over toward Yuuri who was in the process of giving Viktor the lap dance of the century.  “But first, someone looks thirsty.”

 

Slipping out of Christophe’s hands, Phichit tossed him a wicked grin before sauntering his way over to Yuuri.  Yuuri’s eyes lit up when he saw Phichit approach with the bottle of champagne, giving his friend a wink as he passed off the bottle, laughing as Yuuri emptied the bottle over himself in time with the lyrics of the song. An indignant noise escaped Viktor as the champagne rained down over them, soaking their suits in champagne and sweat. 

 

Phichit swore he could hear Viktor hiss something about ruining suits and dry cleaning bills, and a devious thought flashed through his mind.  Taking the bottle back, Phichit helped Yuuri pull his tie pull of its knot, trailing his fingers down Yuuri's chest as he worked to undo the buttons.  Yuuri’s eyes sparked to life in understanding and he ran a hand through his champagne soaked hair before shucking off his ruined suit jacket and slowly began to peel the thoroughly soaked dress shirt off of himself.

 

Satisfied with the strangled noises Viktor was now making Phichit put down the now empty bottle of champagne and dropped himself back onto Christophe’s lap, throwing an arm around the man’s neck as he licked the rouge champagne off his other hand.  

 

“Oh we gotta turn up the crazy,” he sang, low and teasingly in Christophe’s ear as he tapped his fingers against his shoulder to the beat, “Livin’ like a washed up celebrity.  Shooting fireworks like it’s the fourth of July…”

 

“Until we feel alright.” Christophe offered before suddenly turning to roughly capture Phichit’s lips with his own.

 

Phichit smirked into the kiss as he gently raked his nails through Christophe's undercut. Shifting his hips he threw a leg over so that he could properly straddle the man as he pulled his bottom lip between his teeth.

 

The kiss was hot and desperate and by the time they pulled apart, both of them panting for air, an entirely different song was playing and Phichit wasn’t even sure where he was anymore.  Everything was too loud and too quiet at the same time, Christophe was too close yet entirely too far away, and all Phichit wanted to do was drown in that kiss again.  

 

So he did.

 

Again and again, until his lost count and was pretty sure the music stopped and the lights were being turned off and they were still sitting there, in that chair on the edge of the dance floor, tethering.

 

Suddenly Christophe came to a stand, pulling Phichit up with him as they stumbled out of the abandoned banquet hall, pressing him up against the wall as they waited for the elevator to come and take them away.

 

Phichit didn’t even really drink that night, but now he was drunk, drunk off of Christophe’s cologne and insatiable kisses, drunk off of every fantasy and desire he had ever had for that man.  

 

“Mon dieu, lapinou.” Christophe breathed heavy in his ear, “do you have any idea how long I’ve waited to do this?”

 

“Three days?” Phichit offered before promptly attaching himself on Christophe's mouth again.

 

“Mmm, much longer, mon chéri, much longer.” Christophe mumbled against his lips.

 

“Less talking more kissing.” Phichit demanded pressing him up against the door to his room, fumbling in his pockets for his keycard.

 

A few frantic kisses later, he finally managed to get the door to the room opened and let out a gasp as Christophe slammed him up against the wooden panels of the closet.

 

When they finally pulled apart to breath, Christophe smiled softly down at him, trailing a finger across the side of Phichit’s face. “You really are something else, you know that?” He said breathily, leaning down to pepper Phichit's jaw with kisses. “I wish… this could last forever.”

 

It was as if a switch was flipped inside of him, and at the mere mention of forever Phichit suddenly sobered up.

 

_ Forever _ .

 

Could he do forever? Maybe. Maybe not. He wasn't looking for forever, but then again, he wouldn't be able to stomach just one night either. Christophe was a walking contradiction, both eros and agape, and Phichit was suddenly at a loss on which way he wanted to be pulled. 

 

Sure, he could give into the animal inside, the animal who's demanding to be released, to ravage Christophe the only way he knew how. There was nothing he wanted more than to taste Christophe and to be consumed in return, but if he gave in, if he allowed himself this much, would he ever be satisfied? Would he be able to walk away, they way he did every other sexual encounter he ever had?

 

Perhaps not.

 

He was too invested in this relationship, if he could call it that. He didn't want his lust to consume him, to destroy the delicate balance he had created with this man, this man that he wants to hold onto and never let go.

 

The truth was though he wasn't ready. He wasn't ready for a real relationship. He wasn't ready to take what they had to the next level. He wasn't not ready to divert his attention from the ice just yet. He's certainly not ready to fall in love quite just yet.

 

“Chris… stop.” Phichit said jerking away as Christophe trailed kisses down his neck, hands working their way up from his hips, sliding under his disheveled shirt.

 

“Hmmm?” Christophe hummed, his hands stilling as he continued to nip against Phichit's neck.

 

Pushing Christophe off of him Phichit adjusted his shirt a little, frowning before abandoning the task and stripped off the suit jacket and shirt as he crossed the room. “I'm not having sex with you.”

 

“Okay,” Came Christophe's response, obvious confusion in his voice, but understanding too. “Whatever you want Phichit, we can take it slow.”

 

Pulling a t-shirt over his head Phichit continued to strip off his suit, kicking off his trousers before pulling on a pair of worn sweatpants.  “Not that I don’t want to have sex with you,” he amended as he plopped down onto the arm chair.  “Because I totally  _ want _ to have sex with you.  God the things I want to do to you…”

 

“Do tell, mon petít demon.” Christophe said teasingly as he crossed the room and took a seat across from Phichit on the couch.

 

“No.”

 

“No?” Christophe asked in surprise, raising an eyebrow.

 

“No.” Phichit repeated.  “I don’t want to do anything sexual with you.”   
  
“Right.” Christophe said the playfulness leaving his voice as his brows knitted together in confusion.

 

“Not that I don’t like sex, because I love sex.  I just don’t want to have sex with you.  Right now.”

 

“Okay…?”

 

“I mean- you know… I’ve totally fantasized about having sex with you.  Maybe not to the level that Yuuri fantasized about Viktor, but I mean how can one  _ not _ fantasize about you with the way you skate...” He was rambling now, and needed to stop, but the words just kept pouring out of his mouth.  “It’s like ‘ _ holy shit, I have Christophe Giacometti here in my hotel room and he totally wants to fuck _ ’ and I just can’t you know.  I  _ can’t _ .”

 

“Lapinou,” Christophe said slowly, a hand dragging through his hair as he fought to maintain an air of understanding.  “I’m very confused.”

 

Letting out a sigh Phichit dropped his head back and sunk into the chair.  “How do I say this… I’ve never been in a real relationship… just one night stands and fuck buddies.”

 

Christophe nodded in understanding.  “Now  _ that _ I understand.”

 

“Do you though?” Phichit asked, sitting up so he could look Christophe in the eye.  “Because I’m not going to have sex with you.  Because if we have sex… it’s just going to be weird.  Not the sex.  The sex won’t be weird.”

 

Christophe blinked blankly back at him, obviously very confused by the words spilling out of Phichit’s mouth.

 

“I mean, unless you want the sex to be weird, then I suppose I can work with that.  But not really because I’m not going to-”

 

“Stop.” Christoph said, cutting him off.  “Please, just stop.”

 

“No Chris.” Phichit insisted, leaning forward in the chair.  “I need you to be on the same page as me with this.”

 

“Oh mon chéri,” Christophe moaned dramatically as he threw a hand over his face, “You’re in a whole different book right now.”

 

“Shit.” Phichit spat under his breath.  “I’m pulling a Yuuri right now aren’t I?”

 

“Did you just meme-ify your friend?” Christophe asked with a shake of his head.

 

“Bro, I’ve been meme-ifying him for years now.  Viktor too now.  Heh… he makes it so easy.  Anyway, this is not the point.” Phichit said throwing his hands up in frustration.  “The point it, I can’t have sex with you.  Not because I don’t want to, I do.  Sex is fun.  Sex is great.  Goddamn it Chris I love sex.”

 

“Yes, but just not with me.” Christophe stated as he crossed his arms and leaned back into the couch.

 

“Not that I don’t want to.  I just like you too much you know?” Phichit tried to salvage the conversation, because really this is not where he had intended it to go.  “I don’t want something like having sex with you ruin the friendship we’ve developed.  Not that sex ruins friendships, because there’s that whole thing you had with Viktor where the two of you have totally fucked before.  Because Viktor made sure we were all VERY aware of that fact, and clearly you guys are still good friends, but I mean I don’t know what having sex with you would do to  _ our _ friendship because you know…”

 

“Let me guess, you can’t have sex with me.” Christophe deadpanned.

 

“Yes!  Exactly!” Phichit exclaimed excitedly, glad that Christophe was finally on the same page as him.  “But mainly because you know, if I were to have sex with you, like right now, I’d then want it all the time but we can’t because I’m training in Thailand and you’re over in Switzerland and Euro’s is coming up and then four C’s and we won’t see each other until World’s and I honestly don’t think I can survive that long.”

 

“Breath, lapinou.” Christophe said with a slight chuckle.  “It’s fine, I get it.  We don’t have to have sex, we can take it slow.  Whatever you want.”

 

“God.” Phichit said, running a hand through his hair.  “I really want to fuck you.”

 

“Mmmhmm,” Christophe hummed in amusement.  “But, you’re not going to have sex with me.”

 

Phichit’s eyes shot up to meet Christophe’s in surprise.  “Is that really okay with you?”

 

“Yes, it’s fine.”

 

“So you're totally cool if we don't have sex? I mean I know this weekend had been a whole lot of build-up with no sign of release.”

 

Christophe let out a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose.  “It’s fine, Phichit.  It’s fine.  I’m not this sex crazed heathen you know.”

 

“Right.” Phichit said with a sigh of relief.  “Okay, so you’d be totally fine if I were to say I don’t really want a relationship right now either right?”

 

“Phichit.” Christophe said slowly, his patience clearly wearing thin.  “I’m fine with whatever you want.”

 

“Even if it’s to just keep this platonic between us?”

 

“If that’s what you need right now, it’s fine.  I am perfectly capable of platonic.”

 

“Oh thank god.” Phichit said as he pulled himself off of the chair.  “Not that I don’t want to steal you away and fuck you until the only coherent thought you have is my name, but-”

 

“For the love of all things sacred, PLEASE don’t say what I know you’re going to say next.”

 

“Fine.” Phichit said flopping onto the bed. “You’re welcome to stay if you want.”

 

“Sure.” Christophe said behind a yawn.  Kicking off his shoes, Christophe deposited himself next to Phichit on the bed, face buried in a pillow.

 

Turning to face Christophe a cheeky grin slowly crept across Phichit’s face as he poked the man in the shoulder.  “But I’m not going to have sex with you.”

 

“GODDAMN IT PHICHIT!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahahaha don't hate me for the way this chapter ended. This was planned since the beginning. The ship will sail I think? At some point? But right now, the only ship Christophe will be riding on is the ship of Friendship. xD
> 
> :-*
> 
> The end next. <3
> 
> Thanks for going on this crazy ride with me.


	50. THE END

“Phichit… can you please explain why our plane tickets say Fukuoka as opposed to Bangkok?”

 

Looking up from his phone, Phichit gave Celestino a sheepish grin as he plucked his ticket out of his coach’s hand. “I didn't tell you?”

 

“No Phichit, you didn't tell me.” Celestino said with a click of his tongue. 

 

“Oh? I could have sworn I told you.” Phichit said, attempting to keep a straight face. “We're taking a two and a half week detour to Japan!”

 

“Uh huh, I can see that.” Celestino said, giving into Phichit's whim. “May I ask why?”

 

“I miss Yuuri.”

 

“I'm sure you do.” Celestino guided them through the crowds toward the security terminals. “And you're sure this has nothing to do with Nikiforov making his comeback during Nationals.”

 

“Why Ciao Ciao, do you think that I would just decide on my own that you would be okay with standing in as Yuuri's coach for Japanese Nationals without consulting you!?” Phichit asked in feigned offense.

 

The deadpanned look Celestino gave Phichit in response made Phichit snort in laughter. “Did you at least run this by Yuuri?” Celestino questioned with a shake of his head.

 

“Umm…” Phichit hummed between fits of laughter. “I ran it by Viktor?”

 

“Of course you did.”. Celestino said, still shaking his head. “The two of you seem to get along nicely.”

 

Nodding Phichit stifled a laugh as he removed his shoes. “You can say we bonded over Yuuri.”

 

“I'm sure you did.”

 

Pulling out his phone Phichit hummed contently to himself as they made their way to their gate in a pleasant silence, glad that Celestino was on board with his plan. When they reached their gate, the first thing Phichit noticed was that Yuuri was sitting alone on the bench facing the runway. 

 

Dropping his bag off with his coach, Phichit made his way very to his friend and plopped down next to him, throwing an arm around Yuuri's slumped shoulders. “Cheer up Yuuri, it's only gonna be three weeks. Besides, you have me!”

 

“Phichit!” Yuri exclaimed, jolting to life. “What are you doing here?”

 

Throwing his weight against Yuuri, Phichit rested his head on his arm, “We’re here to support you for Nationals.  Didn’t I tell you?”

 

Phichit grinned as Yuuri shook his head and halfheartedly shoved him off of him.  “No?  Then again, I’m assuming this is what you were talking about at the banquet last night?”

 

“Yup.  Selfie?” He asked, already holding out his phone.  Yuuri gave him a weak smile before leaning in so he could snap a photo.  “I’m so excited!  Me, you, Ciao Ciao… together for a competition!  It’ll be just like old times!”

 

“Wait what?  Ciao Ciao too!?” Yuuri exclaimed, looking around frantically, gaping at Phichit when he finally located his former coach chatting with Mari and Minako.  “Phichit!” He whined, slumping against him.

 

“I mean, if you’re uncomfortable with the idea, we could just ask Ciao Ciao to stay at the inn or something, and I can pretend to be your coach. I'm sure Viktor has a suit or two I could borrow.”  Phichit suggested, poking Yuuri in the face.

 

“Like you could fit Viktor's suits.” Yuuri scoffed before gently shaking his head, ”No, no, it's alright.  It’ll be fine.  I’m just surprised he agreed.”  Yuuri mumbled as Phichit messed with his phone, choosing the best filter for the picture he just took.

 

“Well… I mean…” Phichit said, chuckling to himself as his fingers flew across his screen, typing out a string of tags before hitting  _ share. _

 

“Phichit!  Did you spring this on him too!?”

 

“I mean, you could say he was surprised when the boarding pass read  _ Fukuoka  _ instead of  _ Bangkok _ .”

 

Phichit sat back with a grin as Yuuri gently shook his head at him before pulling out his phone which just pinged, notifying him that he was just tagged in a picture.  “Phichit…” Yuuri said slowly, his brows furrowing as he read through the hashtags Phichit included with the photo.  “What’s with these tags?”

 

“I don’t know what you mean.” Phichit said with a cheeky grin. “What’s wrong with  _ hashtag besties for life _ or  _ hashtag besties reunite  _ or  _ hashtag Phichuuri for the win _ ?”

 

“Nothing, there’s nothing wrong with those… except you coupled them with  _ hashtag sayōnara lover boy _ and  _ hashtag Viktor's missing out _ and I have the distinct feeling that you're deliberately trying to antagonize him.”

 

“That's slander and you know it, Yuuri.” Phichit said smugly. “Antagonizing Viktor… poppycock. He's on a plane, if I were antagonizing him I would have waited at least half an hour until he got wifi or four hours until he landed to post that.”

 

“Should I even ask why you know his flight information?”

 

“He told me?”

 

“Viktor told you his flight information.” Yuuri stated in disbelief. “Somehow I find that doubtful.”

 

“Here.” Phichit said shoving his phone into Yuuri's face.

 

 

“Wow, okay, he told you his flight information.” Yuuri said scrolling through the conversation. “I guess I just never realized the two of you talked like that.”

 

“Just because you hate texting it doesn't mean everyone else does too.”

 

Yuuri stuck out his tongue at Phichit and continued scrolling. “Phichit… how far back do these conversations go?”

 

Shrugging Phichit glanced over at his phone in Yuuri's hand, watching as Yuuri scrolled past his conversation about Mississauga. “Far.”

 

“ _ How _ far?” Yuuri asked again handing Phichit back his phone. “And thank you for not giving me away there.”

 

“No problem. Your secrets are safe with me. Unless I need to blackmail you.”

 

“Comforting.” Yuuri deadpanned.  “Would you please stop dodging the question now?”

 

“Okay so remember back in January… when I thought some crazy fan hacked a fake Nikiforov account to get to you…?” Phichit said nervously scratching at the back of his head.

 

“After Europeans right?”

 

“Yea…” Phichit drawled, dragging out the word.  “So… it turns out… that was really Viktor.”

 

“What!?” Yuuri exclaimed leaping to his feet.  “And you didn’t think to tell me!?”

 

“Well I mean I thought he was a fake for a while…” Phichit said, clicking his tongue when Yuuri stared back at him in suspiciously. “Seriously Yuuri… when I first asked him what he wanted from you, his response was something about having your babies and being your coach.”

 

“Sounds about right.” Yuuri said with a chuckle.

 

“I mean yes, in hindsight, that was totally something he would say, but like I was supposed to believe that was really him at the time.”

 

Letting out a huff Yuuri settled back down next to Phichit and checked the time.  “So when did you figure it out?”

 

“When I came home from Four Continents and that poster was there.”

 

Yuuri snapped his head to face him, eyes blown wide as he opened and and closed his mouth a few times before finally breathing out, “that was from Viktor?”

 

“Yeah. I was pretty upset when he told me you didn't have any of your posters up.”

 

“Phichit! You knew this whole time!? YOU KNEW HE WAS COMING TO HASETSU!?” Yuuri screamed, shaking Phichit violently by the shoulders. “And you didn't think to tell me!?”

 

“I mean I didn't believe him when he said he was buying a plane ticket! And it didn't really register until he told me he landed… and you… you had your phone off.” Phichit defended, shaking Yuuri off of him. 

 

“He was a mess in the beginning you know.” Phichit finally said when Yuuri calmed down again. Scrolling through their conversation Phichit kept swiping for what seemed an eternity until he reached the beginning. 

 

“Actually, he's still a mess. It's quite astonishing the power you hold over him.” He said passing over his phone. “Reading material for you for the next twelve hours.”

 

Taking the phone from him, Yuuri gave him a small smile. “I still can't believe you've known all along.”

 

“Yeah, you owe me one buddy.”

 

Nodding Yuuri focused his attention back to the direct messages between Viktor and Phichit, his posture stiffening as he glanced over at Phichit and narrowed his eyes.  “You  _ knew _ about the Sochi banquet?”

 

“Well I mean, I knew you had dance-off’s?  I didn’t know about the pole dancing, he didn’t mention that…”

 

“I still can’t believe you two were in contact for so long… so everything in Tokyo…?”

 

“Tokyo was a riot.” Phichit said with a laugh as he scrolled down a little in the conversation.  “I even got Ciao Ciao to give me a hand… see right here.”

 

“Yakov took his phone?” Yuuri asked with a raised eyebrow, his face morphing into a laugh when realization finally dawned upon him.  “Oh my god, Ciao Ciao got Yakov to take his phone away… that’s why you had no problems location tagging us everywhere!  You are devious Phichit Chulanont.”

 

Phichit hummed in agreement as he watch Yuuri continue to read their conversation, bracing himself when Yuuri got up to the part when they were at the nightclub.

 

“PHICHIT!” Yuuri screamed, his hands trembling slightly, “You sent him that picture?  I don’t even remember taking that picture!”

 

“You were kind of drunk… but you have to admit it was a good picture.” Phichit said laughing hysterically.

 

“Well yes, why am I even making that face?”

 

“I asked you to look at the camera as I was going to send the picture to Viktor asking him to come out and play with us...”

 

Yuuri sucked in a breath.  “And that’s the face I went with?”

 

“Such Eros, my Yuuri.” Phichit said with a laugh, “can you just imagine the things he’s done while staring at that picture?”

 

“Oh my god Phichit, don’t even start.” Yuuri said, as he continued to scroll, pausing for a second when a notification went off.  “Oh, it looks like he got inair WiFi… Viktor’s messaging you.  Must have just seen the Instagram photo.”

 

“Oh my god really?  That’s hilarious.” Phichit said reaching over Yuuri and clicking the little bubble on the bottom of the screen, bringing the conversation up to date.

 

Reading over Viktor’s incoming messages, Yuuri glanced over at Phichit and flashed him a devious smile before his fingers started flying across the screen formulating a response.

 

 

Phichit almost fell off the chair in laughter as he took his phone back from Yuuri because Viktor was now, in fact attempting to call Yuuri.  After a good ten minutes of Viktor frantically trying to apologize to Yuuri, it was time for them to board, and Phichit couldn’t resist telling Yuuri as much, as close as possible so Viktor simply  _ knew _ that Phichit was right next to Yuuri.

 

Traveling was quite possibly the worst thing ever, especially the jetlag and cramped seats.  Why Yuuri insists on flying coach was beyond him, but then again, he  _ could _ have gotten himself a first class ticket, but where was the fun in that?  Because being next to Yuuri while he was messaging Viktor was possible the best thing ever.  Especially since Yuuri was asleep for most of the flight so Phichit was able to taunt Viktor with a slew of pictures.

 

By the time they made it to Yu-Topia, Phichit was exhausted, but when Yuuri’s mother informed them that they were packed due to the holiday season and he would have to share Viktor’s room with Yuuri since Yuuri would be giving up his room for Celestino, all his exhaustion melted away.  Dropping his bags in the sitting area of the room, Phichit pulled Yuuri onto the bed and took a selfie, laughing maniacally the whole time.

 

Ensuring it would be obvious to at least  _ one _ person where the selfie was taken, Phichit proceeded to tag the photo with the usual tags of # _ bestiesforlife _ and # _ phichuuriFTW _ adding on # _ roommatesagain _ and  _ #threeweekswithyuuri #bedsharing  _ although the tag he was still most proud of was  # _ viktorsmissingout _ .  Predictably, he received a direct message notification seconds after he hit the share button.

 

 

“You’re so horrible.” Yuuri said leaning over to read the conversation.

 

“Lies.” Phichit said as he put his phone away.  “Admit it, you love it.  Jealous Viktor.”

 

Yuuri grinned in response, sinking down against Viktor’s plethora of pillows, “I do.  It still doesn’t feel real sometimes… but Nationals will be here in a few weeks, and then I’m off to Saint Petersburg.  How crazy is that?”

 

“Insane.”  Phichit replied yawning widely, “Who’s packing all this shit up?”

 

Yuuri suddenly shot up, startling Makkachin who had settled down next to him, “Shit Phichit.” He groaned looking around, “We’re going to have to pack all his stuff for him.”

 

“We?”

 

“Tell me you’re going to help me.  Nationals is in two weeks, and I have to not only pack my own stuff, but this madness as well.”  Yuuri begged, collapsing back onto the bed.

 

“Of course I’ll help you Yuuri!~” Phichit said ruffling his hair.  “Going through all of Viktor’s shit is going to be so much fun.  I mean…” He amended when Yuuri glanced over at him with a glare, “Packing up all of Viktor’s shit…?”

 

The following week passed rather uneventfully, Yuuri was hitting the ice as often as he could, Phichit joined him whenever possible.  Ironing out the kinks of his own program even though he still had two months until the Four Continents, which is why he spent a majority of the time helping Yuuri pack.  

 

On one of those rare days, where Yuuri had the day off, Phichit took a break from packing and collapsed onto the bed, mindlessly swiping through Instagram. The next thing he noticed was an asleep Yuuri snuggled against him on the right and an equally asleep Makkachin snuggled against him on the left.  

 

Carefully reaching over Yuuri as to not stir either of them, Phichit reached for his selfie stick, letting out a breath of relief when he successfully retrieved it without waking either of them up.  Quickly snapping the perfect picture, Phichit laughed quietly to himself as he typed out his hashtags and posted the picture.

 

 

It was unfathomable how quickly two and a half weeks passed, and before he knew it, almost all of Viktor’s things were packed and all that was left was the left side of the closet in Yuuri’s room.  Maneuvering his way around the massive amounts of boxes stacked up in Yuuri’s room ready to be shipped, Phichit plopped down in front of Yuuri’s closet and pulled out a box to be sorted.

 

Going through this corner of his closet was quicker than most of the packing they’ve done for the past two weeks, considering it was mostly old school books and a few magazine here and there, but then Phichit found the stack of Viktor Nikiforov posters and laughed.  Thumbing through them, he discovered that they were all older posters, all from before Yuuri left for Detroit, and Viktor was so young there.  Snapping a quick picture of the stack of posters he pulled out his phone and quickly messaged Viktor.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE END
> 
> Thank you so much for coming on this wild ride with me. I can't believe it's over. You guys have made this my most successful fic EVER. And I'll be forever grateful for that, because this little headcanon of mine got SO MUCH LOVE! 
> 
> I will at some point finish Chicago, if I don't, I'll probably post what I have on [Tumblr](http://ishxallxgood.tumblr.com/), so come scream at me there. Feel free to ask me anything, now that this is over, I don't mind telling you guys whatever you want to know. I'm tempted to do the Detroit: The Phichuuri years, but I don't know if I'll actually go down that road since I have this bug in my head that WANTS TO BE WRITTEN... so we'll see.
> 
> If you enjoyed this, please go check out my other stuff too, admittedly some of it is super angst, so if that's not your cup of tea, I get it, but there are others that are just a fun an fluffy as this.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you like Instagram conversations, because there will be a lot of them. xD
> 
> Hit me up on [Tumblr](http://ishxallxgood.tumblr.com/) if you want to chat. I love making new friends and fangirling over YoI <3
> 
> Come scream at me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/ishxallxgood) too now.


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